Adult Star on the Tape
by goldpiece
Summary: When the body of an adult film star turns up in the lab, a tape of 'intimate moments' between Booth and Brennan also turns up. To find out who filmed them, they must find out who murdered their victim. Last in 'Butterfly Effect' series
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Okay, so it's a bit short, but hey, at least I have the start of this going. Here we are loyal readers, the last installment in the 'Butterfly Effect' series. This one is the culmination of all the changes and problems that have affected them during the last three stories, so I hope you enjoy it. Next chapter will most likely be an M, and I will put a warning at the beginning of each chapter if there is anything questionable in it. So, without further ado…here is 'Adult Star on the Tape'._

"So, what do you think?" Temperance turned to look at her best friend as she awaited an answer from the artist. Angela took in the room they were in until her eyes settled on the large object in front of her.

"Sweetie, is there any reason in particular that you have a one hundred six inch screen LCD television on the wall?" The two women looked at each other as Brennan gave a small shrug.

"Booth said he wanted a 'man cave', and I remember him insisting on having this size television in a cabin he wanted me to build. Besides, him having his own space allows somewhere for all of his sports memorabilia."

"You do realize you're crazy, right Bren?"

"I don't see how. It's a perfectly logical decision," she said as they headed back up from the basement of Temperance's new house. She'd gotten lucky and found a five bedroom house in Arlington, Va., and closed the deal within a month of returning home from New Jersey.

"That's not exactly what I meant. When does Booth come home?"

"Oh, he'll be back on Friday. He's finally done helping Rebecca fix up her place, especially all of the damage in the basement."

"I'll definitely give you the trust thing. Not very many people would trust their husbands or boyfriends to stay with an ex for as long as he has and not worry that something was going on."

"Booth doesn't cheat." She couldn't understand why many people thought that was an issue. He had a standard of morals set down by his religious beliefs, one of which was that it was immoral to cheat.

"Yeah, but with his and Rebecca's history…"

"Ange, I trust Booth implicitly. There is no reason for me to think that he would ever do something so dishonest behind my back. Besides, he's too excited about the prospect of fatherhood again to do anything."

"So your little inability to currently have sex hasn't bothered him at all?"

"Well, it never really came up while I was in New Jersey, and we've been apart now for six weeks. I would assume in that time he'd find self gratification an acceptable means of release."

"Eh, you're probably right. I guess it's just that with everything that's gone on lately…"

"Oh Ange, I'm sorry I didn't think that discussing my relationship would have much of an effect on your emotions regarding Dr. Hodgins." Angela waved off the concern and shrugged.

"There's not much I can do about it right now. Everything will work out the way that it needs to."

"Much like the issues with the paparazzi?" Angela groaned and shook her head as they settled down in the living room. She still couldn't get over the size of the house that Brennan had purchased. It was huge and stylistically not something she ever would have thought her friend would like. Then again, it was old, very old and the previous owner had done wonders restoring the historic house.

"God, when they found out that Jack works there and discovered who my dad was they had a field day. Poor Goodman hasn't even been able to make headway in keeping them away because the museum grounds are technically public property."

"Well something needs to be done soon or we won't get any work done once Booth gets back." Temperance sighed and rested her hand on her abdomen. She was just beginning to show at twelve weeks along, and found herself constantly rubbing the tiny bump that had formed.

"Ha, I can't wait to see how he deals with the press. They haven't gone anywhere near Rebecca's house, have they?"

"No, but they found out where dad lives and keep following him around." Brennan laughed, thinking back to the last time she'd been out with her father. They were shopping, and he was helping her pick out some furniture for the 'man cave' when a couple of reporters and photographers began to follow them. Max simply shook his head and invited them along while they shopped.

"They like him, and probably keep wondering whether or not he's going to start a vendetta against someone." Both women laughed a bit at the thought before Temperance glanced over at a clock on the wall.

"Well, I need to get to my doctor's appointment. Dr. Tarlow should have the results of my ultrasound back and depending on what she sees…"

"So you'll find out whether you can go back into the field or not."

"Exactly."

"And just who would you be going out there with?" Temperance just smiled in response.

XxXxX

"Well, everything looks good Temperance. The placenta is higher than I originally thought, the baby is at the right size and weight, and you've gained the appropriate amount of weight yourself."

"Does that mean I can return to my normal duties at work?" Dr. Tarlow set down the information sent to her from the ultrasound performed on Temperance and looked at her patient.

"You can return to all of your previous activities provisionally."

"What do you mean exactly?"

"If anything you do causes you to spot, cramp or have pain of any kind, and that does include back pain, then you need to stop and come see me. Just because you're out of the danger zone for miscarriage doesn't mean that a problem can't still develop."

"I understand."

"Good. I expect to see you back here in a month." Dr. Tarlow smiled and left the room just ahead of Brennan. The anthropologist smiled as she gathered up her belongings and headed to the receptionist to make her next appointment. With a smile, she took care of the scheduling and headed out to her car. Booth would be home this Friday, and there was some serious alone time that needed to occur.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed information. They might not have been able to have a honeymoon because of their accidental marriage, but maybe they could have a weekend alone, with no interruptions. She ran a hand over her abdomen again as she got the number for the hotel she was looking for. The two of them deserved that alone time and she was going to be sure that they got it.

XxXxX

Booth walked through the halls of the Jeffersonian after turning in his rental car and stopping back at the Hoover Building. It felt good to have his badge and gun back; he didn't feel quite so naked now. While he'd been activated to investigate who it was that had abducted his son, he had forgone retrieving his badge or gun. If he needed to use a weapon, he had his own to use.

He stepped into the lab and took a moment to watch all of the lab assistants and scientists running around as they attended to their jobs. Even though he still didn't get all of the science that went into the work he did with Brennan, this still felt like home to him what with the amount of time he spent here on cases.

"Hey Angela, have you seen my beautiful wife around here anywhere," he called out to the artist. Angela turned and smiled at him before pointing to Temperance's office.

"Where do you think she is?"

"Thanks," He flashed a smile as he headed toward Brennan's office, whistling a little as he went.

"Hey Booth?" He turned back to the artist.

"Yeah Angela?"

"Glad to have you back with us. We've missed you."

"I've missed all of this too." He offered her a wave and strode into Temperance's office. She sat at her desk, completely engrossed in a report of some sort. Booth watched her for a moment before sneaking up behind her. "Honey, I'm home."

Brennan shrieked and spun around in her chair. She hit him hard on the shoulder before wrapping her arms around him. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" She planted a kiss on his lips before pulling back to look at him critically.

"Did you come here straight from the airport?"

"No, I stopped off at the Hoover first, why?"

"Why didn't you go home first?"

"Funny thing about that Bones. You never told me where home is." He smiled as she turned a bit red. "We do have a home, right?"

"Yes, of course we do. Come on, I'll show you around the house before we have to leave." Booth quirked up an eyebrow as he looked at his wife.

"And where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see. It's a surprise." She turned back to her computer and shut it down before straightening the files on her desk. Booth gathered up her belongings and led her out of the lab, his hand on the small of her back as usual. Temperance smiled as they made their way to his vehicle. It felt nice to know that after everything they'd gone through the past year, they were still the same people.

"Are you sure I'll like this surprise?" Brennan just looked up at him with a smile.

"I'm positive you'll love it."


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Hello all. Happy Birthday to my son, he's one year today. I just thought I'd get this chapter up before we have to get the last minute cleaning done for his party later today. The end of this chapter does contain some M rated material, so for those of you that are younger and don't want to read it, it's not really crucial that you read it if you want to skip it. As always, let me know what you think. Oh yeah, and the little bit at the end…the song is 'I'm never gonna let you go' by George Strait. With that, I hope you enjoy._

_I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now…_ The song lyrics played over and over again in Booth's head as he looked at the huge television in the basement of the house that Temperance had purchased two weeks earlier. A couple of large, leather sofas were arranged around the television in such a way that allowed for optimum viewing. There was a bar set up in the corner, stocked with all manner of alcohol, and his trophies from high school and college filled out shelves around a pool table on the opposite end of the basement.

"Bones, I…" Booth shook his head. He was completely speechless as he looked around the room again, his attention settling on the one hundred six inch television. Temperance stepped up next to him, an amused look on her face as he stared, dumbstruck.

"My father says that as thanks for setting up your 'man cave' he's allowed to come over whenever he wants to watch sports. Russ too."

"Of course. Heck, the old guy could move in here at this point and I wouldn't care. This is amazing. I can't believe you did this."

"Well, consider it a wedding present. I feel I owe you a little bit for all the pain I put you through with the whole divorce thing." Booth turned to look at her and put his hand on her arm.

"You didn't have to do anything like this for me. Just staying with me is gift enough." He pulled her into his arms then and kissed her. Temperance smiled against his lips before she pulled away from him. She took his hand and tugged him toward the stairs and to the rest of the house.

"Yes, well as much as I'm glad you like the room, we don't have a lot of time. I have a bag packed for you, so I can show you the rest of the house, and then we're going out." Booth looked at her as he followed her up the stairs.

"Where could we possibly be going that would require a bag being packed?"

"I thought that we could have a weekend away before we have to be back at work on Monday, so I booked us a room at the St. Regis." Booth stopped in his tracks, jerking Brennan to a stop because he'd yet to let go of her hand.

"Bones, that's one of the best hotels in the world."

"I know, that's why I made the reservations. Now hurry up. I'd like to get settled before dinner." She kissed him and let go of his hand to continue back to their master bedroom. Booth followed, eager to see more of the house. When they drove up earlier in the day, he'd been awestruck at its appearance. The drive back to the house was tree lined, with a circular entry leading up to the house. A small access path ran to the back of the house where the garage was, and columns graced the front of the old house. The house was so unlike something that Brennan would normally choose, but there seemed to be an air of history about it.

"So where are we going to dinner," he asked when they reached the bedroom. His jaw dropped when they got into the room. Ornate crown molding lined the top of the walls, which were a pale green in color. Dark wood furniture that had not belonged to either him or Brennan filled the room, with rich textiles complementing the colors in the room. "Bones, this is incredible."

"I know this house is generally not something I would consider, but something about it just appealed to me. In answer to your question, I have dinner reservations as Arnoud." Booth made a face as he found his way to the closet. The interior was customized, having a place for everything from shoes to his beloved ties.

"French food? C'mon sweetheart, you know I don't like French food."

"I'm sure you'll find the cuisine suitable." Temperance walked in the huge closet to her half and pulled out a red dress. While most of her clothing was getting a bit too tight now that she was showing, the red dress, a remnant from their Vegas case still managed to look flattering, especially with her larger chest.

"But French food?" Brennan shook her head and walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. He'd pout for a while, but once they got there, she knew he'd be fine with the menu. Besides, it was the after dinner entertainment that she was looking forward to, and she couldn't wait to tell him the news.

XxXxX

"Welcome to the St. Regis, can I help you?" The front desk receptionist smiled at the pair as they approached her. Temperance pulled out her driver's license and handed it over to the young woman.

"Yes, I have a room reservation for this weekend." The receptionist took the id and entered the information into her computer.

"Ah yes Dr. Brennan, I have you in a deluxe king through Sunday morning, is that correct?"

"Yes it is."

"Wonderful. I just need a credit card to process the room." Brennan handed over a credit card and waited for the receptionist to finish the transaction while Booth looked over the opulent lobby. Off to one side, the hotel manager stood with three adults, all of them with extremely hostile body language. His attention was drawn to the group, the one female there seeming to be familiar, though he couldn't place where he'd seen her before.

"What's going on over there," Booth asked the young woman at the front desk. She glanced over to where he was pointing and frowned.

"I'm sure it's nothing, probably a minor dispute over something." Her answer did nothing to soothe his gut. He smoothed a hand down Brennan's back and motioned over to some chairs, indicating that he was going to sit down. Temperance nodded as she continued the check in process.

Booth jammed his hands into the pockets of his trousers, his suit jacket parted on either side as he sat close to the group. He pulled out his phone, flipping through the old messages as he strained to overhear the conversation.

"I will not tolerate that type of behavior in this hotel. We are not an establishment that rents by the hour as you seem to think," the hotel manager said to the other three individuals. The young woman of the group spoke up, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at the man disdainfully.

"We've reserved a room for three days and intend to use it."

"Not for the kind of entertainment you plan to engage in, and we do have a dress code, which you are obviously intent on disregarding."

"Look buster, what we do in our hotel room is none of your business so long as we don't destroy the place, and what are you, the fashion police?" Booth leaned in closer to the arguing group, but jumped in surprise when someone touched his arm.

"Booth, I have the key to our room, are you coming?" He looked up at Temperance, then back at the group one more time.

"Yeah, of course I am." He smiled at her as he stood, placing his hand on her back as they headed with the bell boy toward the elevator.

"Hey, are you okay? You seem somewhat distracted." Booth glanced once back to the group, his gut screaming at him that something was wrong besides the hotel manager's obvious disdain for the woman there. He turned back to Brennan as they stepped in the elevator.

"I'm fine, honestly. I just…there's something going on over there…"

"Just leave it alone. You're not involved, and I'm sure everything will work itself out." She took his hand in hers and squeezed. Booth brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before smiling at her once again.

The doors to their floor opened and they followed the bell hop to their room. Temperance slid the hotel key into the lock and opened the door, Booth and the bell hop following closely behind. Seeley let out a low whistle as he looked around the room. Blue and white tones filled the space, leaving the atmosphere calming and sensuous at the same time. He heard the door click shut and two arms wrap around him from behind.

"Bones, this place is incredible. You really didn't need to go through all this trouble." Booth spun around to face her and noticed the sly little smile slipping onto her face.

"Well, I think we both need some time for a stress release and as much as that could be accomplished at home, I thought an alternate location would be better."

"Stress release? What, are we going to a spa?"

"Hmmm, it seems I forgot to tell you that my doctor gave me the all clear earlier this week to engage in some marital bonding." Temperance wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down toward her for a kiss. He stopped just short of meeting her lips, his forehead pressed against hers.

"And what about the hurry so we wouldn't miss our dinner reservations?"

"It would seem that our reservations are in three hours. I'm sure we have enough time for a little bonding." Brennan met his gaze and watched as his pupils dilated, making his eyes almost black. Heat pooled instantly in her belly and her heart rate sped up at his intent stare.

His lips crashed down on hers as he pulled her flush against him, his desire for her pressing against her body. Brennan wrapped her legs around his waist as he pulled her bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it. She let out a small mewl and rolled her hips, her center brushing along the erection straining against the fabric of his trousers. There would be time for foreplay later. Three months was too damn long to wait, and now that they were here together, it was time to get caught up.

Booth let go of her lips and kissed a trail along her jaw before capturing her earlobe and raking his teeth against the sensitive skin.

"Stop teasing, I want you now," she said and dropped her legs from his body. She grabbed the hem of her red dress and pulled it off as she headed for the bed. Booth watched her for a moment, loving the way her long legs looked in the heels she wore, and how her curves were accentuated by the hip hugging lace panties and matching bra. When she turned to face him and dropped backwards onto the king size bed, his gaze was drawn to the small bit of roundness on her abdomen.

His erection twitched painfully, and he quickly shucked his clothes. Somehow, the sight of her pregnancy beginning to show turned him on more than he felt was healthy, but she just looked so beautiful and so damned sexy. They had created something beautiful together, something that was equal parts of both of them. He moved toward the bed, crawled onto it and lay on his back as she leaned over to kiss him.

"Hmmm, you haven't been this bossy in a long time," he murmured against her lips as he slid his hands over her hips and pulled off her lace underwear.

"Three months is too long," She said as she swung a leg up and over his hips. Brennan shifted as she settled herself over his length and dropped down onto him. They both groaned and held still for a moment, adjusting to the sensations before she began to rock back and forth over him. Booth was content to let her take over as he ran his hands up and down her body. He swept his fingers up along her legs and hips before switching direction and resting them on her abdomen.

"So beautiful," he murmured as he watched her rise and fall on him, her head thrown back and her auburn hair cascading down her back. Booth wrapped his arms around her and brought her down to meet his lips for a kiss. He slid his tongue into her mouth, meeting hers and rubbing against it as his fingers danced trails down her back.

She could feel the tension coiling in her belly and shifter her position as she broke her mouth away from his. She leaned backwards, her hands toward his heels and let out a breathy moan as his penis struck just the right spot. Booth grabbed hold of her hips, controlling the rise and fall as she sped up, her pattern becoming erratic.

"C'mon baby, you're almost there," he said as he felt her tensing around him. This was his favorite time to watch her, just before she fell to pieces in his arms. Their eyes locked, icy blue with warm brown and she melted, going over the edge as he followed right behind. As her body stopped twitching from her orgasm, she lay down on top of him and let out a sigh.

"God that was," she sighed and closed her eyes, snuggling into him. "I love you Booth." Seeley just grinned and placed a kiss to her forehead as he held her to him. It had been too long since he'd just been able to hold her like this. Even after they got Parker back, the little bit of time he'd had with her in New Jersey wasn't enough to drift off in her embrace.

He could hear her breathing even out into that of slumber, and still he didn't move. He swept a hand over her hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strands on his skin. Booth watched her and began to hum quietly, something he used to do with Parker when he was a baby. He'd always found the vibrations from the noise soothing, as did his son. Brennan sighed and snuggled deeper into his embrace and he began to sing quietly to her.

"_Tonight I'm the luckiest man in the world, wrapped in the arms of a beautiful girl, an not that I've found you, I'm never gonna let you go."_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Okay, this is definitely the longest thing I've written in like forever. This chapter is pretty much all loving of the marital relations kind, so for any younguns still hanging around, you might want to skip most of this chapter should you not want to read anything that will corrupt you. For the rest of you, I hope y'all appreciate this because it took me forever to write and I really hope y'all enjoy it. Let me know what you think._

Booth woke up confused. He sat up and rubbed sleep from his eyes before looking around the unfamiliar room. Temperance sat on a chaise by the window of their hotel room, wrapped up in a thick terry cloth robe as she read a book. Outside, the sun was setting, sending its last rays into the hotel room framing Temperance through the window. Brennan looked up from her book and smiled at Booth when she caught him looking at her.

"What," she asked as she set the book aside.

"I'm just admiring the view is all. What time is it?" Temperance looked at the digital readout on the in-room DVD player then turned back to Booth.

"It's just about time for dinner." She unfolded herself from the chaise as Booth bolted off of the bed and reached for his underwear.

"Why didn't you wake me up? We don't have any time to get ready." He hopped a bit as he pulled on the boxers and reached for his pants. Brennan approached Booth and wrapped her arms around him, drawing his attention back to her.

"Relax, everything is taken care of already." She kissed him on the lips and moved to the door of the hotel room as a knock sounded. She opened the door and allowed the hotel attendant in with a room service cart. Booth looked at his wife with a frown.

"I thought you said we had reservations."

"We do. All of this food is from Arnoud. I just asked for it to be brought to the room instead." Once all of the food was arranged on the table in the room, Brennan tipped the attendant and shut the door behind him. Booth went to the table and began pulling the silver covers from the plates, his mouth watering at the sight of the beautiful steak before him.

"Bones, you're too good to me, you know that?"

"I'm only good to the ones who've earned it. I figured you'd enjoy steak au poivre, and there are plenty of choices to go with it." Booth pulled her in for a kiss and grinned at her when they broke apart.

"This, right here is why I love you honey," he said as he rubbed his hands together. Temperance smirked as she put her hands on her hips to look at him.

"You love me for my ability to provide meat? Does that mean that in this relationship you'll stay home with the kids and keep the place up while I go out into the world to provide food and shelter?" Booth grabbed the television remote before he sat down and turned on the television. He flipped around the channels before settling on a choice and turning back to Brennan.

"Well, it's not the only reason I love you, just one of the perks really. And when you say kids, you don't mean you're having twins do you?"

"No Booth, I meant our child and Parker when he comes to visit. You aren't really planning to watch television while we have dinner are you?"

"Not watch so much as listen." Booth grabbed a napkin and laid it over his lap as Brennan sat opposite him and pulled her food up to her and then reached for a bottle of sparkling wine that was in an ice bucket. "Did you know that scientists did a study that showed that men could keep track of two things at the same time and recount full details of both while women could take in numerous things at once but not recount the full details of all of the events?" Temperance poured the sparkling wine into a glass, placing it in front of Booth before grabbing a bottle of water for herself.

"I'd say you were full of yourself if I hadn't also read about that experiment." Brennan took a bite of her dinner and looked thoughtful for a moment. As she swallowed, she looked back at him as his attention drifted toward the set. "So if you're in the middle of watching a sporting event and I ask you to do something, you'll acknowledge that you heard me and do whatever it is that I ask?" Booth cut into the steak, the knife slicing through it like butter and took a bite as he thought over his answer. He paused a moment to savor the flavor of the meat. Now that's what he called heaven. Once he finished the bite, he reached for a glass of wine that Temperance gave him and took a sip.

"Yeah, just realize that if it's non time specific I'll get to it later." He frowned as he concentrated more fully on the television program. Brennan turned to see what held his interest and groaned.

"Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Temperance Brennan will be resuming the book tour that was put on hold six weeks ago due to complications from her pregnancy." An image flashed of her exiting her doctor's office, phone to her ear. An arrow pointed to her abdomen with the words 'baby bump' written next to it. "Today she was seen entering the St. Regis hotel in Washington D.C. with her absentee husband, Seeley Booth."

"Absentee husband? What the hell!" Booth couldn't tear his eyes from the gossip show. Obviously their foray onto 'Hollywood Confidential' a month and a half earlier hadn't garnered them enough respect to stay out of the limelight.

"Despite rumors of his infidelity, the couple appears to be working through any problems they may be having. In other news…" Booth flicked off the television and turned to Brennan. Temperance took another bite of the food, the flavor of it suddenly not appealing to her.

"Has it been like this the entire time I've been gone?" Booth pushed his own plate back slightly as he focused all of his attention on Brennan.

"It has on occasion been worse, especially with the focus on both Angela and Hodgins at work."

"Why didn't you tell me you were being hounded so much? I would have come back weeks ago." Brennan sighed and put a hand over his.

"You needed some time with Parker, and besides, you're the one to tell me I'd have to put up with the press. It's not a big deal, I promise. Dad's been making sure they don't get too close, and for some odd reason, they absolutely love him." Booth looked at Brennan for a long time and leaned back in his chair. He took in her appearance, the way she glowed, and the way she was picking at food and not meeting his eye. She wasn't being entirely honest with him about how tough the last few weeks had been, and it made him feel like a heel. Here she was concerned about the amount of time he got to see his son when she'd been dealing with the paparazzi day and night. Well, he vowed to himself. She's not going to be alone through all of this anymore.

Temperance glanced up from her plate for a moment and caught Booth's intense gaze. All thoughts of dinner left her mind as she watched the shade of his eyes darken to almost black. Goosebumps raced up her arms and sent a thrill down her spine, making her shiver. After what seemed like an eternity of staring at her, he finally spoke.

"Do you remember that first case you assisted me on?" She frowned for a moment, not expecting that to be the words coming out of his mouth.

"Of course I do. You burned me and my conclusions and I vowed to never work with you again." Booth shrugged off the words since he knew they were true. He had been a tad bit bastardish back then, but had since adjusted to the way that she worked. If anything, he sometimes felt as though he relied a little too much on her and her science.

"Did you know that when I saw you for the first time, I was speechless? You stood up on that platform, looking over some bones and I could see how intense you were, all of your concentration focused onto those remains. No one's ever put that much focus on me, ever. I cleared my throat and when you turned and looked at me… Jesus Bones, I was hard instantly."

"You were attracted to me back then?"

"Of course I was. Have you looked at yourself recently? You're beautiful, Temperance. Your eyes are so telling and so intense that they struck me the instant you looked at me that first time." He smiled a bit, the corner of his mouth quirking up as he leaned back a little farther in his seat. "I think had you asked me, I might have slept with you back then."

"I do admit to having found you to be a symmetrically pleasing male at our first encounter." Brennan turned her head to the side as she considered him for a moment. "Why didn't you make a move back then?"

"I was seeing Tessa," he shrugged and got up out of his chair. Dinner could wait. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

He moved around the table until he was standing next to Temperance's chair. He leaned over and nuzzled her neck with his nose before shifting and placing a kiss there. "Do you know why she left me?"

"I would assume it's because she wasn't ready for a more serious step in your relationship." She closed her eyes and tilted her head a bit more as he kept up his attentions. Booth slid his hands along the edge of her bathrobe, gently pulling it down from her shoulders and following its path with his lips.

"Mmmm, could be part of it. She was mostly jealous of you. She felt that I was a little too intrigued with you, that I'd rather be with you than her." He pulled the robe the rest of the way from her shoulders and watched as it pooled around her waist, leaving her breasts exposed to him. He slid his hands down her sides and then trailed them up her ribcage until he was cupping her, feeling the weight of her breasts in his palms.

"That's ridiculous. When you make a commitment, you stick to it." She hissed when he brushed his thumbs over her nipples making them pull up into small peaks.

"She was right. I was so close to inviting you down to Jamaica with me. I wanted to draw you out of that shell you used to hide in, make you look at me with all of the emotions you used to only share with those bones of yours." He let go of her and pulled her chair away from the table before moving to squat down in front of her. Booth grabbed an ice cube from the ice bucket on the table and popped it into his mouth. Brennan's eyes went wide as he brought his lips to her breast and took in one of her tips. She squealed and squirmed when the cold of the ice cube hit the warmth of her skin. She jerked against his mouth, but he held her still as he swirled the frozen bit of water against her, making the nipple achingly tight.

"Booth," she murmured and arched toward him. He smiled at her as he moved to her other breast to repeat the motion.

"Something changed though," he said as he trailed the ice cube down the valley between her breasts and onto her abdomen. "Do you think you could tell me when that change happened? When do you think I stopped seeing you as someone I wanted to sleep with, and you became more than that to me?" Temperance looked at him, her heart pounding in her chest. He lifted the ice cube away from her skin as their eyes met.

"It was that case in Aurora," she said with complete certainty. Booth gave a small nod and a little smile. He leaned in for a kiss, keeping it light and tender.

"I didn't realize it until we were at the bar and all of those men were dancing with you. I was surprised at how jealous I was of their attention, because I was with Tessa and you could see whomever it was that you wanted. The thought of someone with you, even if it was only dancing killed me, and I had to stake my claim." He kissed a trail down her chest until the bunched up robe got in his way. Booth pulled her from the chair and undid the belt of the robe, watching as it pooled around her ankles.

"I knew that's what you were doing," she smiled and closed her eyes when he returned to his earlier ministrations. Brennan buried her fingers in his hair as his lips moved lower and lower on her abdomen, taking time to cover its entirety with open mouthed kisses, the combination of cold from the ice and his hot breath driving her crazy. She squirmed, wanting to escape from and be engulfed by the sensations at the same time.

"You don't know what it is that you do to me Bones. You make me crazy, but you make me feel like the luckiest man on earth at the same time." Booth swept his hands up and down her legs before settling them on her buttocks and feeling the firmness of the muscle under his fingers. "When Kenton had you, I thought that was it. I didn't think I would see you again, and it was then that I realized exactly how much you meant to me. The most amazing woman I've ever met was taken by someone I trusted… I was supposed to protect you and instead I handed you over to a killer."

Temperance wrapped her arms around him as he leaned into her abdomen, eyes closed, just feeling her. She slid down to her knees so that they were eye to eye and captured his lips with her own.

"You always make it in time Booth, always. You always find me, and you've managed to give me my family back, whether it's my team at work or my father and brother, you gave them back to me."

"I hurt for you when we discovered your mother. Jesus Bones, I wanted so much to just hold you and make the hurt go away." He moved a hand up to her hair and buried his fingers into the silk tresses as he held her gaze.

"That night you came over with Chinese food I wanted you to stay over so badly. I wanted you to hold me and keep me safe, but I just couldn't bring myself to ask you. I didn't think you felt the same way."

"Seems like both of us were deceiving ourselves for too long."

"Hmm, I think you're right." Booth stood up and took one of her hands in his. He led her away from the table and over to the bed, laying her down on the soft covers. He kissed her lips and moved away heading for the table once again. Brennan leant up, resting her elbows on the mattress as she watched him curiously. "Booth, what are you doing?"

"You'll see," he said and returned his attention to the table. He lifted the lids off of all the plates, seeing what was ordered by Temperance. There were several side dishes, but only a few actually held his attention. He grabbed a plate of strawberries and chocolate sauce and a plate containing different types of cheese. With a smile, he returned to the bed as Brennan's eyes widened slightly.

"Just what exactly are you planning to do with that food," she asked as he placed the plates on the bedside table.

"I'm planning to eat it," he said as he picked up a strawberry and dipped it into the chocolate sauce. He held his hand under the berry as he brought it over to her to catch any chocolate drops from hitting the coverlet. "More importantly, I'm planning to include my favorite thing with it."

Booth moved his hand and let the chocolate drizzle onto Brennan's breasts, leaving a thin trail of warmth across her body before he brought the berry to her lips. She closed her eyes and took a bite, savoring the combinations of flavors. Booth popped the remainder of the fruit in his mouth and bent down, running his tongue over the chocolate trail.

Temperance gasped and arched up toward him when he latched onto one rosy peak and suckled, lapping at the chocolate with the tip of his tongue. Small sparks of electricity coursed over her with each swirl and seemed to make a straight shot to her core which ached for him.

She whimpered when he pulled away from her, but he was back in a moment offering her another juicy berry. Brennan bit into it, the combination of sweetness with the richness of the brie was heavenly. Booth swirled what remained of the berry over her nipples and took her into his mouth, sucking off the juice from her breasts.

Brennan arched toward him again, moaning as he brought her peaks to tight points. He moved away from her breasts, kissing down her body as he ran his hands up and down her legs, concentrating the soft tickling motions on the backs of her knees. She jerked her legs in toward him, squeezing his torso between them.

"Please," she murmured, bucking her hips up in invitation. He moved his hands up to still the motion and paused to look at her face. Her auburn hair fanned out on the pillow, making a fiery halo around her delicate features as she bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes. His penis twitched against the soft fabric of his boxers at the sight. Only she could look so angelic and erotic at the same time.

"Please what," he whispered back while he caressed her abdomen. Something about the slight roundness of it was so damn attractive on her. Temperance opened her eyes and caught his gaze.

"Please put your mouth on me." He was up in an instant much to her confusion, but when he returned to her, she screamed out when he did just as she asked. The sudden cold of an ice cube on her overheated skin sent her body arching up off of the bed. He caught one of her legs as she flailed slightly and ran the ice cube across the arch of her foot. She tensed and curled her toes, but he held the leg fast, running the ice cube up and down, circling the pads of her toes before running a course along her calf.

"Oh god," she gasped out and clutched at the covers, wanting desperately to pull her leg from the coldness, but completely unable to as Booth followed the ice trail with small nips and kisses.

"You like that baby?" She could only nod as the trail moved closer and closer to her core. She could feel the area between her thighs growing moist. Just as he reached the apex of her thighs, he let go of her leg and grabbed the other one. She cried out in frustration and bucked her hips up toward him as he again swirled the cube closer and closer to her center.

"Seeley, please," Temperance moaned out, her voice rising in pitch, almost whining as she bucked her hips up again. Booth grinned at the reaction as he popped what remained of the cube into his mouth and bent fully between her legs, swirling the cube around her clitoris, and causing her to cry out again. He took the sensitized nub into his mouth and rolled the ice over it as he held her thrashing hips in place. He slipped two fingers into her core and rubbed them against the upper wall in time with his sucking. She dug her fingers into the coverlet, gripping it tightly as her body tensed up, the shock of cold and the rhythm of his fingers sending her fast into an orgasm.

She lay, panting in the aftermath of the explosion, waiting for her racing heart to slow down while small contractions wracked her body. Booth slipped his fingers from her and moved up the bed and lay down next to her. She whimpered at the feeling of loss and curled into him as he pulled her into his side.

"I love watching you when you come," he whispered into her ear before touching the lobe of it with his tongue. "You're so damned beautiful and when you let yourself go…" He pressed his hips forward, his erection pressing into her backside, only the material of his boxers separating them. Temperance rolled slightly so that she could look at Booth. She reached over and caressed the side of his neck when their gazes met.

"Slip inside me and you can feel what you do to me." Booth felt his erection swell, and it was as though he'd never been so hard in his life. He pushed his boxers down over his hips and wriggled until they reached his feet. He kicked them to the floor and turned his attention back to Temperance. She raised one leg slightly and breathed out a soft huff as he pressed into her with one smooth motion. Before having a chance to completely adjust to the position, Brennan felt him sliding out of her until just the tip of him remained. He slid in again, keeping the pace deliberately slow as he leaned forward and captured her lips with his.

Booth slipped an arm around to her front and caressed her abdomen, his fingers circling over her scar before flattening out to sweep over the slight roundness. He broke the kiss and trailed more along her jaw and neck as he continued to run his hand across her stomach.

"I love you Temperance," he murmured between small nips and kisses, his rhythm steady as he increased his speed, sliding in and out of her depth. It was never like this with anyone else. Their connection, even during their first time was always strong as though they were of one mind when it came to their responses to the other. "I love that we've created something together, something precious that's a combination of you and me."

"Seeley," she breathed and tried to take a deeper breath as her eyes pricked with moisture. Booth kissed her shoulder and as the first tear slipped from her eye, he paused his movement.

"I'm not hurting you am I?" She shook her head no and pressed back into him, urging him to continue. Once he was sure she was okay, he began moving again, slowly, savoring each sensation until a second tear slipped down her cheek. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she whispered so quietly, he could barely hear her. "I just feel that for once, everything's right." Brennan met Booth's gaze again and reached up to pull him to her lips. They kissed again, each matched and tender as they continued to move together, tongues brushing against each other as they built up slowly, neither ceasing in their rhythm even as they increased. Booth slid his hand down from her abdomen and let his fingers brush lightly over her clitoris. Temperance pressed back into him again as he continued to stroke the sensitive bundle of nerves, sending her higher and higher until she broke and tensed around him. As her muscles contracted around him, Booth finally let go, following her as he shuddered through his own orgasm.

He clutched her to him, kissing her occasionally as they came down from their high. He could feel her relaxing in his arms as her breathing steadied and calmed. Booth slid out of her core and rolled onto his back as she moved with him, cuddling into his side and laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her temple, closing his eyes as sleep once again claimed them.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Hey guys, this chapter's a solid T for anyone keeping track. Kind of a filler here, but somewhat essential to what will happen in the future. Anyway, I'll try to get another chapter soon, but since my birthday is on Tuesday, it will most likely be after that point. I'll be the bit three oh. Fun,huh? Anyway, let me know what you think. I hope to get more on course next time. Until then though, enjoy._

"Hey Max, thanks for meeting me," Booth said as he sat back in his usual table at the diner. It had been far too long since he'd last been there, and was somewhat pleased to see the waitresses were happy to see him back. When he'd earned the nickname 'Pie Man', he didn't know, but at least they'd brought him a slice of Dutch Apple and a glass of milk as soon as he walked in.

"So the 'absentee husband' returns, eh?" Max slid in across from Booth and flagged down a waitress for a cup of coffee.

"Oh don't you start that too. Has the press been hounding her since she got back from New Jersey?"

"Practically night and day. I mean it seems odd that they'd go after her so hard, but maybe it's just a slow news period." Max shrugged and took a sip of the coffee that was placed before him. "So, why exactly did you want to meet with me?"

"I wanted to find out what's been going on while I was away. She's obviously been dealing with a lot, but she's never been one to elaborate. If I ask her then she'll just shrug and say that everything was fine." Max contemplated Booth for a moment before taking another sip of his coffee. He watched as the special agent speared some of the pie and ate it.

"Some braniac reporter started digging into her past and thought she'd be the best thing since sliced bread. She tries to take things in stride, but it's been wearing her out. The entertainment reporters and their vultures hang out around the Jeffersonian and follow her whenever she leaves. I think they're hoping she'll get mad and threaten someone, I'm not sure.

"Angela and that bug guy….Hodgins? They let their identities and associations get leaked out to take some of the focus off of Temperance. Honestly I don't know what the big deal is with her. She's a writer and anthropologist, not Angelina Jolie." Max shook his head and looked out the window. Across the street were some of the reporters that had taken to following him around.

"I wish someone had told me that the reporters were getting this bad. I would have been back a lot sooner."

"I don't think there's much you can do. They know the law and tend to stay at a safe distance."

"Yeah, well if they get too close during an investigation and something is going to happen. We won't be able to work if their presence interferes too much."

"That's your arena son, not mine. I'm just happy the pair of you finally got your acts together and realized what a good thing you have. For a while there, I thought I was going to have to take both of you over my knee."

"Ha, as if I'd let you."

"Don't fool yourself son. I let you arrest me. I could have gotten away if I wanted and you know it."

"I know Max, and I appreciate what you've done for Bones. She needed to know that the people who love her will come back. I don't know if I would have had a chance with her if she thought I was going to just walk away… Well, if I stayed gone… okay, you know what? I'm going to just stop talking now."

"You're good for her, son. If I didn't think you were the right person for her, I never would have left her in your care."

"Don't let Bones hear you say that."

"Speaking of which, why exactly is my daughter not here with us?"

"I wanted a chance to speak to you alone and she deserved some pampering, so I set up a spa treatment for her at the Ritz-Carlton, speaking of which, I need to get back."

"Of course, of course." Booth threw a few bills on the table to pay for their pie and coffee, and then stood to head out of the diner with Max. As they exited the building, Max clapped Booth on the shoulder and squeezed his hand down. "You take care of her. Don't let those vultures get to close."

"I will. Thank you for keeping an eye out on her while I was gone."

"That's what fathers are for, right?" Max offered a wry smile and headed off, his hands in his pockets and whistling as he walked away. Booth watched him leave and shook his head before getting in the SUV and heading for the Ritz-Carlton.

XxXxX

Booth watched Temperance as they walked along the reflecting pool toward the Washington Monument. Their fingers were intertwined as they meandered on the water's edge, families and couples picnicking and taking photographs all throughout the Mall.

"Did you enjoy the massage?" Booth brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. She smiled at him and closed her eyes, turning her face up into the sunshine.

"I did, thank you. It's been a while since I've indulged in a massage. Angela used to drag me to a day spa about once a month when we first met, but it's been a while."

"Hmmm, well you should go more often. You deserve to pamper yourself."

"There are other things I can do with my time that are more productive. Besides, in a few months I won't have time to indulge myself." Booth sighed and pulled Brennan into him, wrapping his arms around her.

"And that's all the more reason why you need to indulge. You can take some time to yourself and I can spend time with the kids." Temperance smiled up at Booth and kissed him on the lips.

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask baby." Booth let go of her and they began walking once again. "So you're going to pick up your book tour again?" Brennan glanced over at Booth then turned her attention back to the reflecting pool.

"I'm not going anywhere for another month, and I'll only be going places that I can reach within a few hours by car. As much as my obstetrician gave me permission to return to all normal activities, I still would prefer not to fly. Sometime after our child is born I'll extend the distance, but until then I'm not going much farther than Pennsylvania."

"How long are you planning for your tour?"

"No longer than three weeks. I still have to see Dr. Tarlow once a month, so I don't want to have an extended tour."

"Just please take it easy when you go." They were both quiet for a while before Booth spoke again. "Bones, I don't want you going into the field unless it's to retrieve remains."

"What? Booth, we're partners. Why wouldn't I go with you?"

"You know that things don't always go smoothly, and I couldn't bear it if something happened to you and the baby."

"I can take care of myself you know. I'm not some delicate little flower. Pregnancy is not a handicap and I don't want to be treated as though it is." Booth turned to look at her, his mouth agape.

"I'm certainly not trying to treat you like an invalid. If I recall correctly, it was almost a year ago that you were shot in the abdomen. Bones, that nearly killed me, not knowing if you were going to make it. I just kept cursing myself for letting you get hurt."

"That wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. I spent that entire case preoccupied with either you or Noor, and because I couldn't get my act together, you got hurt. I should have seen that shooter, should have been the one to take the bullet, not you."

"You can't change the past. I'm fine, there's no lasting effect, and it brought us together when I was too stubborn to let you in. After Sully left, Angela talked to me about opening up my heart because I missed too much when I kept people at arm's length. I did that to you more than anyone, as much as I did let you in. I didn't want you to betray me, didn't want to get hurt."

"I'll always be there for you, you know that Temperance. Even if we're fighting, I'll always show up if you need me."

"I know, and I think that's why you've been a constant in my life just like Angela. You two never give up."

"Well, no one ever said I wasn't persistent." Booth smiled at Brennan and pulled her in again for a kiss. He swiped his tongue against her lips before dipping in and rubbing it against her own. She moaned and leaned into him a bit.

"I think, Agent Booth that you still owe me some one on one time. What do you say we head back to the hotel?"

"Hmmm, I think I like that idea." He kissed her again before they turned around and headed for the SUV.

XxXxX

"I don't give a shit how much money you're offering, I didn't agree to that trash!" Booth and Brennan stopped in front of their hotel, the woman from the lobby was walking out ahead of the two men she'd been with the day before.

"You can't just back out now Beth. You signed a contract."

"Go to hell! I agreed to do a video, not some fetish trash. You want someone in that kind of filth go find someone off the street." The woman stormed past Booth and Brennan toward the street. She was followed immediately by the two men as they pushed past the federal agent and the anthropologist.

"C'mon, he asked specifically for you!"

"Oh that's real comforting. Someone wants to see me killed." Booth and Brennan looked at each other before he pulled out his badge and showed it to the three from the lobby.

"Excuse me, federal agent. What's going on here?" The two men looked at the badge and sighed, while the woman crossed her arms and approached him.

"There's nothing going on, just a huge misunderstanding."

"Oh? So the fact that I heard you say that someone wants you dead?"

"Look, it's not what you think, okay?" One of the two men spoke. "It's just for a video that someone requested. No one's going to die or be killed."

"Well, just the same, I'd like the three of you to come with me so this can be sorted out." Brennan shook her head and looked over at her husband.

"So it looks like our alone time is going to be postponed." Booth glanced over at his wife and gave her a wry smile.

"It looks that way."


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Oh the things you have to research for a story like this. Researching porn stars is not something that I normally enjoy doing, but you can find out the oddest information that way. Anywho, please read and I hope you enjoy._

"Okay, you want to tell me exactly what was going on at the hotel," Booth said as he sat across from Beth in the interrogation room. She had her arms crossed and was looking away from him, a scowl in place as he looked at her. She spared only a cursory glance at Temperance, who sat next to Booth.

"This is ridiculous. Nothing was going on, and there was no reason to pull us in here."

"Really, because what I heard was you insisting that someone wanted you dead. That doesn't sound like nothing to me." Beth sighed and turned to face Booth.

"Look, I star in adult films, okay? I was offered a lot of money to star in a private movie, and I couldn't say no. I flew out here from California to do the film, but when I found out what type of movie they were intending to make, I backed out. That's it."

"And what type of film are they planning to make?"

"I'm sorry, but you're not going to get anything from me." Booth leaned back in his chair and contemplated the woman before him. She didn't fit into the mould of porn star and he couldn't quite figure out why someone as well spoken as she was would have been involved in the industry in the first place.

"What have you done in the past in adult films," Booth asked Beth. She glanced at him once, trying to figure out how that was relevant to what he wanted from her.

"Why, do you have a preference? Most men are fairly predictable in their interests. They like to see women in a more submissive role; it's one of the reasons that threesomes and bondage are so popular." She contemplated the man before her and found his expressionless face rather disconcerting. "Is that what you like, Agent Booth? You want someone to submit to you, make you feel powerful?"

"I like my relationships to be with equals, thank you very much. But that doesn't answer my question. What have you done in adult films? Do you have a specialty? Where is it that you draw the line?" Booth leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table in front of him. Beth uncrossed her arms and mimicked his position, allowing her to move in closer to the special agent.

"You're right; there are things that I won't do. In general I won't have sex with men because I like to keep my private and professional lives separate. Most of my films are girl on girl, and as far as what I do in those films, there isn't much I haven't done. I have done some fetish related things. Some of it is your typical bondage fare, but one time I had an entire fist inside my…"

"Okay. Enough, I get the picture. You said for the most part you'll only be in films with women. What are the exceptions?"

"I've done films in which I've used toys in a solo capacity, and I have done a few threesomes with a man and a woman. In those films, I concentrate my attention on the woman, and don't go for any type of penetration from the male. Like I said, I keep my preferences separate from work."

"Okay, so were you asked to have sex with men and that's why you refused to do this film?"

"Look, I know my rights, and I am not going to answer something that could potentially get me into trouble."

"Miss Burkshire, you are not in any trouble here. You tell me what I need to know and you can go. I'm not planning to arrest you, okay?" Beth leaned back in her chair again and looked up toward the ceiling before letting out a sigh.

"Fine, but you'd better not go back on that word. I haven't done anything wrong."

"Just answer the question and I'll make sure that you remain safe, okay?"

"I was told that someone wanted me to be in a private film, and they offered me a lot of money for the job. They said that the film involved a threesome with a couple, and that it was going to be filmed in Washington DC. That's what I agreed to. Instead, after I filmed some solo stuff, I found out what they really wanted to do, got dressed and left. It's fetishistic trash."

"What did they want you to do?" Brennan spoke for the first time in the interview. Beth turned her attention on the anthropologist for just a moment before returning it to Booth. The blatant dismissal made Brennan frown just a little bit.

"Look, it's not what they wanted me to do; it's what they wanted to do to me. I've done some bondage stuff before, but these people wanted to tie me down, and then simulate rape and murder. It's what's known as a snuff film."

"Those films are illegal."

"Yeah, I know. When I found out what the plan was, I got out of Dodge. I'm not going to be associated with that trash."

"Do you know who it was that requested the film?"

"No. You might want to talk to Tony and Jason, the camera guys. They know more about the others involved than I do."

"Thank you for your time Miss Burkshire, you're free to go now." Beth nodded to Booth and stood to leave. Before she could go, Temperance spoke up, curious about one thing.

"Miss Burkshire, you seem to be much more articulate than one would assume actors in your field would be. Did you have another career course in mind before you started in the industry?"

"I went to UCLA and got a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. I originally wanted to be a doctor, but couldn't afford school, so I got a job dancing at a gentleman's club. This director saw me there, and asked if I wanted to make better money by being in films. I thought I'd give it a try, and I've made so much money that I haven't seen a reason to do anything else."

"Thank you Miss Burkshire." Temperance watched as the young woman left the room. Beth was such an atypical denizen of the porn industry that it might be what attracted the mysterious couple to her in the first place. Seeley leaned back in his chair and blew out a breath. This whole mess was turning into something much uglier than he'd anticipated. After a moment, he got up and moved to the room's telephone. After he picked it up, he waited for the other end to be answered.

"Yes, what is it Booth?"

"Charlie, could you please send in one of the two men I have detained. I need them to answer a few questions."

"Sure thing." Booth hung up the phone and turned to his wife.

"Bones, was questioning her use of language really necessary?"

"Booth, you can't tell me you weren't curious about why she was so well spoken given her line of work. I understand that not everyone fits into a particular mould, but she seemed too intelligent to be involved in the sex industry." Booth sat next to her and shook his head.

"I don't think I really want to know how it is that you would make an assumption like that. You certainly aren't one for them."

"I did a study while in college on sexual deviancy, with a focus on sadomasochism and other fetishes. Part of my study involved speaking to and observing people involved in said activities."

"Please tell me you weren't involved in any of that activity purely for scientific inquiry."

"Not for scientific inquiry no, but I did indulge in some bondage play out of curiosity."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me at all. I'm sure the fact that we're dealing with people who get off on rape and murder fascinates the hell out of you."

"Actually, I think that Sweets would find this case completely fascinating. Are you sure you don't want him here for this?"

"If I have questions regarding motive, then I'll ask him later. The last thing I need right now is a twelve year old talking to me about sexual fetishes." The door to the interrogation room opened and one of the two camera men stepped inside.

"Please, have a seat Mr…"

"Jason Filby." Jason sat down across from Booth and tried to keep his expression neutral, but Booth could see that the young man was nervous.

"Mr. Filby, I want to know why it is that you didn't fully inform Miss Burkshire what type of film she was requested for."

"Doesn't really matter. Those porn stars do whatever gets them money, you know? They don't care what kind of stuff they're in."

"Have you worked in the industry very long, or are you fairly new to it," Brennan asked and turned her gaze onto the young man. He swallowed before giving an answer.

"I was uh hired strictly to work on this film. Those movies are usually filmed in Los Angeles, so the people that requested the movie, they hired me and my buddy to tape everything."

"And you have no problem with the idea of filming a simulated rape and murder, because I've got to tell you, I see death all the time and I would find that somewhat disturbing," Booth said to Jason, pulling the man's attention back to him.

"It's not like it's real, you know? I mean the movies do stuff like that all the time."

"Did you happen to look at Miss Burkshire's film history to see if it was something that she might be interested in? From what I understand, she's very particular about what she will and won't do."

"Hey man, I was paid to get her out here for this film, and if not telling her what she was in for did the trick, then I did my job."

"I need the name of the couple that paid for the film."

"No can do man."

"I don't think you quite understand. I'm not asking for the information. I'm demanding that you give it to me. It's much easier when you play by my rules, trust me on this one."

"Look, it's not that I don't want to give you their names, it's that I can't. The only thing I know is that they contacted me through a porno supplier…a company called Visionworks. Talk to Barry Mansfield. I'm sure he can get you in touch with them." Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. Booth took it and motioned to the door with his head.

"You're free to go, but don't go too far until this whole situation is cleared up. I might have some more questions."

XxXxX

"I was actually quite surprised that you were able to get through the interview without getting too uncomfortable." Temperance leaned back against Seeley in the bathtub as the jets bubbled up around them. She put her foot in front of one jet of bubbles, enjoying the way it pressed on her pressure points.

"I can talk about sex, Bones." Booth ran his hands over her abdomen, swirling patterns on her belly as he pressed small kisses to her neck.

"Yes, but generally you seem to get uncomfortable unless you're discussing your past conquests." Booth pulled away from Brennan to look at her.

"I don't kiss and tell. I never have, and I never will."

"Then let me amend my statement. You are confident of your ability to attract females, and when discussing past attempts you have no problem talking about sex."

"Bones, the only problem I've ever had when discussing sex is when you would bring it up at highly inappropriate times. I don't need to talk about interest in or history of sex when out in public. Some things should remain private."

"What about sexual fantasies? You never discuss them with me, and I think that if you were more comfortable with the subject we might be able to include some fantasy play in our own sex life."

"I am not discussing my fantasies with you."

"Why not? I'm interested in what you would find fascinating in the bedroom." She turned to look at him and he rolled his eyes a little bit before leaning his head back against the tile of the bathroom wall.

"You want to know why? I think our sex life is fulfilling enough without having to indulge in unrealistic scenarios, that's why." Temperance turned back around and laid her head back against Booth's chest, absorbing his statement. She was somewhat curious about why he felt that the situations were unrealistic, unless it had to do with some form of group sex. Then she could understand why he would be uncomfortable with the idea.

"Booth?"

"Yeah Bones?"

"I can think of something I'd like to do." Booth pulled his head away from the wall and angled himself a bit to see her.

"Yeah, and what's that?" He watched as she turned around and straddled him in the bathtub. He smiled a bit as she settled over him, her long, slim legs hugging the sides of his hips. She leaned in to kiss him, her lips barely brushing his own before she moved on toward his jaw line. Booth ran his hands up her sides, his fingers skimming her skin with a whisper of a touch.

He moved his hands onto her breasts, cupping them as he brushed his fingers over the sensitive nipples. She hissed at the contact and arched toward him.

"Are you planning to breastfeed?" Temperance looked at him, a little confused as he began to kiss a trail down her neck and toward her breasts.

"That's an odd question to ask right now." Booth pulled his head away from her skin and caught her gaze for a moment.

"I'm just curious."

"Of course I'm planning to breastfeed."

"Good, because I could get used to these," he said just before dropping his head back to her breasts and pulling a nipple between his teeth to suck.

"Ugh you are such a man sometimes."

"What do you mean sometimes? I'm all man baby, all man."

_AN: Yeah, yeah, I know, I should have put in a love scene, but you know what? Sometimes it's better to use your imagination. That being said, if you could please indulge my sense of writing worth by pressing that little button, I'd appreciate it. Thanks._


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: This chapter is taking a bit of a dark turn. I tried to limit the amount of disturbing information without detracting from the story, but things will pick up a bit from here. Please let me know what you think, and I hope this isn't too disturbing._

"Mr. Mansfield, my name is Seeley Booth; I'm a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigations. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me." Booth twiddled a pencil between his fingers as he leaned back in his office chair.

"Is this about the tax evasion charges, because my accountant is getting all of my paperwork together…"

"Mr. Mansfield, this has nothing to do with your taxes. I need to speak with you about a video that you planned in regards to Beth Burkshire."

"I haven't planned anything with her. She works for Wicked, not for us. I'll tell you what though, if I could snag her for a film, I'd do it. She's the best in her field, and will probably win the AVN for best actress. Man, I'd kill to have her on contract."

"Funny you should say that. According to Miss Burkshire, you hired her to do a film, something for a private couple, but when it was revealed what kind of film she'd be making, she balked."

"Look Agent…what did you say your name was?"

"Booth."

"I would never hire someone for a private film. Ever. I make sure that my stars are clean, both from drugs and disease, okay? How in the hell would I be able to keep my stars safe if I just loaned them out to any Tom, Dick, or Harry that came along? I'll tell you how. I wouldn't be able to."

"You're telling me that you had absolutely no knowledge that a film was being made in which Beth Burkshire was to participate in a simulated rape and murder?"

"What? You're talking about a snuff film? What the hell kind of business do you think I run? Those films are illegal and for good reason."

"One of the cameramen who was involved in the project said that you contacted him to film the action, and that you had the name of the couple who were commissioning the movie."

"I would never be involved in something so shady. I run a legitimate business and would never get involved in that kind of trash. I'd be ruined." Booth turned over the conversation in his head. He much preferred to interview people face to face, because he could usually tell if someone was lying to him. His gut in this case was telling him that Barry Mansfield was not lying about his connection to the film. Who then wasn't telling the truth?

"I'll take that under consideration Mr. Mansfield. Can I contact you if I have any additional questions?"

"Of course Agent Booth." Booth hung up and stepped out of his office. He headed over for one of his desk agents and sat on the edge of it, smiling.

"Charlie, I need you to run records for Jason Filby, Tony Shourt and Beth Burkshire. Find out who they work for, and if they have any connection at all to Visionworks Entertainment." Charlie looked up at Booth, surprised.

"The porn company?" Booth raised an eyebrow at the junior agent to which Charlie simply cleared his throat.

"Yes, the porn company. Can you have the information sent over to the Jeffersonian please? I'll need to give it to Angela. Oh, and run a check on Barry Mansfield as well."

"Sure. I'll send it right over." Booth stood and clapped Charlie on the shoulder as he headed for the elevator. "Oh hey Booth?"

"Yeah Charlie?" Booth turned to look at the junior agent.

"It's good to have you back. Things have been kind of boring without you."

XxXxX

"You two just can't have a normal weekend retreat, can you?" Angela shook her head as she leaned against the examination table inside the bone storage room.

"I don't think anyone with our jobs can truly have a normal life. A case could present at any time and we just have to be ready for it." Temperance gave a small shrug as she said it and turned back to the stack of papers she needed to look over from her grad students. She shifted on the seat to get a little bit more comfortable and looked up to find Angela still looking at her. "What Ange?"

"Does Booth realize what he has with you because you're one of the most understanding people I have ever met? You know, statistically speaking most people in law enforcement get divorces because their spouses just don't understand what the job entitles, or refuse to accept the reality of it."

"Considering that Booth and I work together it would be difficult for me to not have a level of understanding."

"Good afternoon ladies," Booth said as he sauntered into the room. He dropped a kiss onto Brennan's lips as he reached the pair and stood before sending a smile Angela's way.

"What are you doing here Booth? Couldn't keep away from your wife after that sexy weekend?" Angela grinned as she leaned back onto the couch. Booth smirked a little and shook his head.

"Actually, I came to see you. I'm assuming that Bones told you about the disagreement we overheard at the hotel this weekend?"

"Yeah, we were just talking about that, why?"

"I called the movie producer we were told to contact today over at Visionworks."

"Visionworks? Dude, they have this really great film called 'Arachnophilia," Hodgins began as he stuck his head into the office. "It's like the movie 'Arachnophobia', but instead of people dying when they get bitten, they end up…"

"Great, I get the picture. Geesh, what is it with everyone being way too explicit about their sex lives? Did you need something?" Booth looked over at the entomologist with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. There were some files just sent from the FBI for Angie." He came into the office and handed the papers to the artist. Booth grabbed the papers before they could make it to Angela's grasp.

"Perfect," he said as he looked over the information on them. "One of our interviewees wasn't completely honest with us yesterday. Mr. Filby said that he was requested to film a movie by Visionworks, but it says here that he's employed by a company called 'Sex, Lies, and Internet, Inc.'." He handed the papers to Angela as the rest of the group looked at him in question.

"Okay, so why did you want this information sent to me?" Angela asked as she riffled through the reports.

"I need you to do a search online of any snuff films and use the mass recognition program to see if any of the people featured in them are the same. Check and see if any of them were produced by this," he tapped the papers as he spoke, "video company. In the meantime, I'm going to give Jason Filby a call."

"Do you honestly think that someone would put an illegal film out on the internet," Brennan asked as she looked over the papers with Angela. Booth shrugged and stood up.

"They have everything online. Just look at what happened with Napster. People are always going to find something they're looking for. All a company like this has to do is proclaim that their films are for anyone eighteen and older and charge for membership to their site. They can show what they want if it's private until someone rats them out." With that, Booth dropped one more kiss onto Brennan's lips and left the building, whistling as he went. Hodgins followed out of the office, muttering as he went.

"Man, how come I never get the good jobs?"

XxXxX

Angela sighed as she watched what felt like the hundredth clip of pornographic filth. She'd been at her assignment for a few hours, and in that time learned way more about fetishes than she ever wanted to know. There was indeed a reason that the company called itself 'Sex, lies, and internet'. It seemed that they specialized in providing entertainment for anyone with an alternate sexual proclivities, and there was no end to what she'd found herself watching. In one video, the couple was turned on by licking each other's eyeballs. In another, they got off by dressing up in furry suits and having sex. She shuddered as she thought about that one. Seeing someone dressed up as a beloved cartoon character and being taken from the rear was somewhat disturbing.

The artist rubbed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose to relieve some of the tension building up. That stuff had been relatively tame compared to other videos she managed to dig up. The people that got off on bondage and rape scenarios truly disturbed her and in one video, she'd watched as someone masturbated to crime scene photos. Maybe I should mark that one for the FBI to look into she thought as she turned back to the computer. Only a few more to go and she could call it quits for the day.

So far, nothing had turned up that would qualify as a snuff film, but then again, a basic search would hardly bring up something like that. Angela clicked on a video that was tagged 'rape' and swallowed the bile rising in her throat as the video came on. Why did she have to get a degree in visual art with a focus on the medium of computer and digital work? She always got the disgusting jobs like looking at pictures and videos of god fights, or Blair Witch type footage. Now she was sitting in her office watching a simulated rape that looked like it was done by amateurs.

"Wait a minute," she said as she straightened up in her seat. Something looked oddly familiar about the girl being violated. Angela paused the video and looked harder at the girl. Her stomach turned and she gasped as she realized what it was that was so familiar. Her stomach twisted again and she closed her eyes. Booth would need to know about this as soon as possible. After taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone and dialed.

XxXxX

"Okay, so what is it that I just had to see," Booth asked when he arrived at the Jeffersonian for the second time that day. He looked at Angela, concerned that she looked as pale as she did. "Hey, are you okay Angela?"

"No, and you'll see why in a minute." Booth followed her into her office and stepped behind her to see what she had to show him. "Can I just say that I hate my job?"

"Why, because you've been watching bad pornography all day?"

"No, because I've had to watch this," she said and showed Booth the video. As it began to play, his brow furrowed. That didn't look too much like a simulated sex act. The girl in the video was crying, and the camera never left her expression as she begged for them to stop.

"That doesn't look fake." As the man in the video finished, the girl fought against him, wailing until she was able to get the door to the car open. As she stumbled out and began to run, Angela paused the video.

"I played that through twice just to make sure that I was right about what I was seeing. Take a look at the background. It's a little hard to see, but there's something there." Booth forced his horrified gaze away from the girl and looked at the background in the shot. There were several trees there and a dark brown building with something written on the side of it.

"Ange, can you enhance the lettering on that building?" Angela clicked a few buttons on the keyboard and the words came into sharper focus. The white lettering on the building showed the words, 'The Cave Store'. "Fuck."

"I never forget a face, and when I saw hers…" Angela reached into a drawer and pulled up a sketch pad. She flipped it around so Booth could see. "Meet Rebecca Teasdale, found dead in a sea cave in La Jolla, Ca."


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: Sorry guys, this chapter is a bit darker than the last one. That's the nature of the beast as far as this story goes though. Please let me know what you think, whether it's good, bad or indifferent. I really do value your opinions._

"Yes, sir. Yes, it's the same victim from that case. I understand that, and I realize that I was pulled from it for a reason, but I really need the jurisdiction on this one. I think it's connected to my current case. Yes, sir, thank you." Booth flipped his phone shut and looked at Angela. "Well, Cullen agreed to get the case file from the agent out in San Diego."

"I'll watch the rest of these and see if I can match the couple in the video to any others." The artist sighed as her stomach rolled. This was definitely not how she wanted to spend her evening.

"Ange, just tag this video and come back to it tomorrow. You've been at this all day." Angela smiled sadly up at Booth.

"Thanks for the suggestion Booth, but I have to finish this tonight. If I don't, then I won't want to do it tomorrow."

"Okay. Just call if you find any matches." Angela nodded and turned back to her computer. She'd rather have nightmares one night than spread over several because of the work.

Booth made his way to Brennan's office, knocking lightly on the doorway as he stepped inside. She looked up from her files and smiled at him.

"Well Bones, our case just got a little bit more complicated." He made his way to her couch and sat down.

"What do you mean?"

"Angela just found a video online of our victim from San Diego."

"What kind of video?"

"The sickos that raped her recorded the event, including chasing her off the edge of that cliff." His stomach turned as he thought about the video again. Brennan also looked a bit green around the gills, but swallowed back the bile rising at the thought of what the video contained.

"Do you think it's the same couple that hired Beth?"

"I don't know, but if it's not then we can at least try to get them for the crimes they have committed." Booth put his hands at his waist, his jacket spread wide behind them. "God, sometimes I get so tired of dealing with trash like this."

"Booth, we'll get the people who killed that girl, and we'll stop whoever it was that hired Beth. I don't like this anymore than you do, but you know that we are the people who get them off the streets."

"I know that Bones, but it gets to you, you know? I know so many guys who burn out and leave because they can't handle their jobs anymore. Sometimes I just feel so close to that point." He ran a hand over his face and sighed. "I was going to see if you were ready to go, but I think I'm gonna head back to the Hoover Building and do a search for cases similar to Rebecca Teasdale's. If these guys make a habit of picking up girls to rape and murder them, then maybe I can find something to help us out."

"Don't stay out too late." Brennan got up from her desk and approached Booth. She sat down next to him and gave him a hug. He wrapped his own arms around her and kissed her forehead.

"I shouldn't be too late. If the search criterion doesn't turn anything up, then I'll head home. Otherwise, I'll wait for the information to be sent in."

"Fine, but if you aren't home by eight, I'm coming to get you."

"Yes ma'am." He gave her a small salute and stood up. "You might want to check in on Angela. I think she could use some company. That trash is hard to watch." Brennan nodded and followed him from the office, only breaking off her path to head to Angela's office. Booth watched her until she was in with the artist and then headed from the building to return to FBI headquarters.

XxXxX

"Hey, are you still here," Brennan asked as she peeked into Booth's office. He threw the file he was reading onto a pile of others and sighed. Ten other cases from around the country were similar in circumstances to Rebecca's case. He was sick to his stomach as he read the same details over and over.

"Obviously. These people are sick and depraved. Geesh, I feel dirty just reading over these cases." He shuddered and straightened out the stack of papers.

"Well in that case, I say that we need to scrub you clean." Brennan smirked at Booth and leaned against the doorway to his office. Booth leaned back in his chair and smiled at his wife.

"I think I'd be up for that."

"Yeah? I thought you would." She held her hand out to him, a seductive smile on her face as he stood up to join her. When he reached her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, sliding his tongue against hers as she opened up to him. God, he loved the taste and feel of her. She molded to him, pressing her body into his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He growled in appreciation, pulling her closer as he moved his lips from hers and along her jaw line to her neck.

"We shouldn't be doing this here you know. There are cameras everywhere." He skimmed his hand down her side until it rested on her thigh. He hiked her leg up and wrapped it around his hip before grinding his pelvis into hers. She could get him hot like no one else. Everything about her was tempting to him.

"Then close your blinds and no one will be the wiser." Booth pulled back from her for a moment and shook his head.

"What have I done to you? Sex at work Bones? That's kind of hot, but not something I thought you'd be up for."

"Well, when you're in the mood," she said as she shifted her hips into his again, "then you make a few exceptions." He growled a bit at her and brought his lips to hers again. They stumbled their way into the office and toward his desk chair. Unlike Brennan, he didn't have a couch to collapse onto, but to be honest, he liked being able to see all of her when they made love.

Brennan reached for his belt buckle, undoing it and reaching inside his trousers to wrap her hand around him. Booth hissed and thrust into her hand as he tugged her shirt up over her head, breaking the kiss to get rid of the barrier between them.

"Bones do you have any idea what you do to me," he ground out, arching his hips to let her slide his pants down over his hips. He closed his eyes as she dropped to her knees and put her mouth on him. Bliss. Her mouth was pure bliss.

"Of course I do, but do are you aware of what you did to me?" Booth opened his eyes, puzzled. How was she able to speak if she was otherwise occupied? With a frown, he looked at her and yelled in shock. Temperance was covered with long cut marks that were bleeding freely, and a long, ugly wound ran down her abdomen. She shivered for a second before collapsing on the ground. Booth stumbled from his seat, dropping the bloody knife that was in his hand. He turned, horrified and saw a cameraman there, capturing everything.

"Booth?" Seeley startled awake, sitting up in his chair and looking around in a panic. "Are you okay? I was worried when you didn't come home." Temperance walked into his office, frowning in concern.

"I'm sorry, I must have…" He looked around his office. Everything was as it should be. On his desk, one of the files was open, and a crime scene photo lay there. Well, that explained the nightmare. He rubbed his face, trying to shake off the sleep and stood up, wincing as his back pulled. Obviously sleeping at work did nothing for his already bad back. "Did Angela finish looking at those videos?"

"Yes. I made sure she left before I came here to find you. I have to say that I've seen some pretty terrible things in my life, but those videos were incredibly disturbing." Booth joined her and they headed for the elevator.

"Yeah, I only saw one of them, but it made me sick. Is Angela going to be okay?"

"I think so. She said something about visiting a friend. I'm assuming she doesn't want to be alone tonight." As the elevator doors opened up, someone called for them. Booth turned around to see Charlie racing down the hall for them.

"Booth, hold up! We just got a call in for you. A body's been found in the McMillan Reservoir, pretty torn up. It sounds a lot like the victims in those files you were looking over this evening so Cullen wants you two over there."

"Thanks Charlie." The junior agent nodded as Booth and Brennan stepped onto the elevator. Seeley turned to his wife with a sigh. "No rest for the wicked, huh Bones?"

"I don't know what that means."

XxXxX

"Okay, so who found the remains," Booth asked the police officer on site as they walked to the remains."

"A groundskeeper of the park was making his rounds when he saw something in the water. As soon as he realized that what he saw was a body, he gave us a call. I gotta say though, it's the most disgusting thing I think I've come across, and I've seen a lot." The police officer raised up the tape and led them over to the edge of the reservoir. A body lay on some plastic tarps, mostly in tact. Brennan knelt next to the remains to take a look at them.

"Well, these remains are relatively fresh; I don't think that this victim has been dead more than a couple of days." She examined the head and shuddered slightly at the appearance. "Normally I don't deal in flesh, but I can see why this young woman is unable to be identified. There are multiple striations in the flesh, cutting down to the bone, and it looks like something in the water might have fed from her. Are there many fish in there?"

"Yeah, tons. You don't think they ate her, do you?"

"I'd say it's a possibility, though it's not exactly my area of expertise. I mean, it's obvious this is a young woman, but not enough of her bones are showing to give me more than that. Can you please have these remains taken to the Jeffersonian? I'm going to have to debride the remains before I can do a more thorough examination." Brennan stood up and let the crime scene technicians handle the body. As they loaded the remains into a body bag, however, Booth held out a hand for them to stop.

"Wait, what's that," he asked as he pointed to the lower back of the victim. "I need a flashlight."

"Booth, what is it?"

"I think I recognize that tattoo." One of the technicians handed the flashlight to Booth. He shone it onto the lower back of the victim and shook his head. "Beth has a tattoo like that on her lower back. I saw it last Friday at the hotel when she was arguing with manager."

"Are you sure? It's a pretty common design."

"I'm pretty sure." Booth handed the flashlight back to the technician and pulled out his pad of paper. After flipping through a couple of pages, he found the number he was looking for. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed, waiting for the other end to pick up. After the third ring, the line was answered.

"Hello?"

"Yes, hello, is this Beth Burkshire?"

"No, it isn't."

"May I please speak to Beth?"

"I think you'll find her a little bogged down right now." The woman on the line laughed. Booth motioned to another officer and pointed to the phone. Why couldn't they have been somewhere to make tracking the call easier?

"Bogged down? What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean Special Agent Seeley Booth. Really, I thought you were more intelligent than that. Playing dumb doesn't suit you." Booth's free hand formed into a fist as his grip on the phone tightened.

"I hope you know that we will find you, and when we do, you'll be lucky to escape without the death penalty."

"Now, now Agent Booth. We both know that's not how the game is played. Besides, I think you'll find that a media storm is about to blow and you'll be so caught up in it you won't have time to look for little ole me." The woman laughed and hung up the phone. Booth turned to the police officer he'd motioned to. The officer shook his head. They weren't able to track the signal.

"Damn it," he swore and threw the phone to the ground. He didn't like games, and now it seemed he and the Jeffersonian team was sucked right to the center of a very sick and twisted one.


	8. Chapter 8

"Bones, please try to get some sleep. Cam can take care of the preliminaries." The team stood on the platform, bleary-eyed as they worked late into the evening. Temperance was beginning to nod off as the pathologist did the autopsy on Beth's remains.

"I'll be fine Booth, relax."

"No. You've been here all day, and right now there's no need for either you or Angela to be here. Please baby, get some rest so you can be more alert in the morning."

"Those murderers killed Rebecca and they killed Beth. How many more are they going to get before we find them?"

"Hopefully none." Booth turned to Angela, who looked completely shaken up. She had her arms wrapped around her waist as she stared at the body on the table. Seeley turned back to Brennan and leaned in close to her. "Temperance please. Take Angela home and stay with her tonight. I'm sure she could use both the rest and the company. Please." Brennan looked at her best friend and nodded. The case was taking its toll on everyone, and it could only get worse at this point. They only just started on it, and it was proving to be one of the worst situations they'd dealt with. After a moment of consideration, Brennan nodded and took a deep breath.

"Angela, could you please drive me home? Booth needs to stay later and I don't have a car right now. Mine is still over at the Bureau." Angela looked up at Brennan, her eyes glazed for a second before she registered what her friend was saying to her.

"Oh, sure. Just let me get my purse." Angela walked off the platform as she glanced back once at the remains. She was rightfully subdued after watching the trash she'd been viewing all day. When she reached her office, Booth pulled Brennan into a quick hug and kiss.

"Now go home and please make sure that you both get some sleep."

"You too Booth." With that, she left him for her office and belongings. He watched her until she was out of the building. "Okay Cam, what have you got?"

"Not much yet. She was sexually assaulted, kind of ironic considering her line of work. There are multiple lacerations to her body, most notably a large gash on her abdomen. Whoever did this is seriously into the whole torture aspect of it all." She shook her head and returned her attention to the remains. Booth clenched and unclenched his fists. It wasn't fair. He'd had her in for questioning two days earlier, and now she was dead. There had to have been something he could do to protect her from being murdered.

"I pulled some particulates from her clothing, and it matches the samples we have from Rebecca's case. There's no doubt that the same person did this," Hodgins said as he looked up from his microscope. "The fibers are a match to carpet used by Ford. I'm running a search to see if they're related to a particular model vehicle."

"Great, thanks Hodgins." Booth watched them work for a few minutes as he mulled over the information given to him. Puzzled, he turned back to Cam.

"Hey, you said that she had several lacerations, including one on her stomach?"

"Yes," she answered and pointed to the various cuts. Booth took in the locations of the wounds and nodded.

"Those match some of the autopsy reports from a few other cases I pulled, but Rebecca Teasdale didn't have any wounds like that. Why spare her and not the others?"

"I don't know. From what Angela mentioned of that video, she fought off her attacker and got out of the car, although the sandstone cliffs she fell off of did a number on her before she died. Maybe to them it was the same thing." She shrugged.

"Huh. Well, I'm going back over to my office to look over those files. I put in a request for all physical evidence to be sent over here. You should have everything tomorrow. Hodgins, see if you can match any of the evidence to the two current cases. I want to make sure we get these bastards for everything."

XxXxX

"Bren, really I'm fine," Angela said as she took a sip of some tea. They sat in the family room, neither paying the television any attention though it was on. "I can get home okay, I promise you. It's not like I've been out drinking or anything."

"No, but it's well after midnight and you've been working on an intense case. I'm insisting you stay here tonight. Besides, I'm sure it will make Booth feel better knowing that I have company right now." She shifted in her seat to get more comfortable. Her back felt a little bit tight, which was understandable considering the late hours she worked.

"Fine, I'll do it if it'll make Booth feel better," Angela smirked and took another sip of the tea before grimacing. "One thing's for sure. I'll be happy if I never have to watch another porno for the rest of my life. I don't quite see what men see in those things. There's always some busty woman who's like, 'Oh oops, I seem to have dropped a doughnut down the front of my shirt and now there's glazed sugar all over me. I'd better take off my shirt'. And of course there's some not terribly attractive man there who just happens to be well equipped to take care of the sugar problem."

"Ange, I don't think that would quite qualify all of the pornography you can find out there."

"No, you're right about that, trust me. I'm fairly open-minded but some of the stuff I saw tonight…no thank you." She shuddered as she thought about the furries going at it. "And though I applaud those brave enough to tape their nookie sessions, those tapes aren't much better."

"You know, Michael and I taped ourselves a couple of times. I didn't quite understand why that would be appealing, to watch yourself having sex." Angela started laughing and set her cup down.

"Hodgins and I got caught on tape a few times at work. I still have the DVD at home that Cam gave me as a warning to be more discreet."

"I don't think Booth would be interested in filming sex. He says that people only engage in alternative practices because they're trying to make a connection, and I have to say that I agree with him."

"God, I'd pay to see the two of you at it. That would be hot as hell."

"Ange!"

"What sweetie, it's true. Two hotties like you would be way better than a lot of the crap available online." Brennan smiled and shook her head. Leave it to Angela to make an observation like that.

"Thank you I think." Brennan glanced at the clock as she shifted in her seat again. If she didn't get sleep soon, she'd definitely regret it in the morning. She got off of the couch and stretched before grabbing the mugs to take to the kitchen. "I have the guest room ready. You know where to find everything, right?"

"Yes, and thanks Bren for helping out tonight." Angela gave Temperance a hug and headed down to the guest bedroom. Brennan watched her until she shut the door to the room and headed to her own room. She needed to get some sleep, and as she glanced once again at the clock, hoping that Booth would be okay and not try to drive home if he was too tired. They didn't need any other surprises in their life.

XxXxX

Booth pored over the files he'd requested, reading over the autopsy reports and looking through the photographs from the crime scenes. He'd managed to sort the files into two stacks, those that were likely matches and those that weren't. Of the likely matches, a pattern was emerging. All of the victims were young women in their early twenties, had blonde hair and blue eyes, were either in college or had graduated, and all were found dead in bodies of water.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned, glancing at the clock on his desk as he did so. Christ, it was almost three in the morning. There was no way he was going to try and drive home as tired as he was. His mind made up, he grabbed the files on the likely victims and headed out to his SUV. Bones had a perfectly good couch in her office, and he knew she'd want him to make the safe choice. Besides, he mused, he'd be able to get the files to Cam and Hodgins immediately and the case could get on its feet much faster that way.

XxXxX

Morning came much too early Brennan decided when her alarm clock sounded at seven. Her body was achy, a dull throbbing emanating from her lower back. It's only because I worked for so long yesterday, she thought as she shut off the alarm. Temperance shifted and winced at the pulling in her muscles as if everything was tense. With a sigh, she dropped her arms down over her eyes. Dr. Tarlow had insisted that if she experienced any type of back pain she needed to call in. She glanced once more at the clock. The office wouldn't be open for another two hours, so she'd just have to call from work.

With that thought, she heaved herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. She was ready in short order and out the door with Angela by seven thirty. The artist glanced occasionally over at Temperance, but said nothing as she shifted in her seat.

"You think they found out anything last night?" Brennan looked over at Angela before turning back to stare out the window.

"I think something had to have been discovered if Booth didn't make it home last night. Maybe there's evidence connecting the murders, or he's found other cases that are similar, but then again, no one called with news." Temperance shifted in her seat again.

"Bren, are you okay? You look really uncomfortable."

"I'm fine, don't worry. I just shouldn't have been working as long as I did yesterday."

"If you say so sweetie." With one final look at Temperance, Angela turned her attention back to the road.

They arrived at the Jeffersonian shortly afterwards, the rest of the team already there and working. Brennan made a detour to her office to drop off her belongings and grab her lab coat. She walked in to find Booth sound asleep on her couch. Smiling, she made her way over and sat on the edge of the cushion before bending down and kissing him on the lips. He blinked open his eyes before sitting up and rubbing a hand over his face.

"What time is it?"

"It's just a little after eight. Were you able to find anything out last night?"

"Yes and no. Hodgins found proof that whoever killed Rebecca in La Jolla also murdered Beth. I'm going to call the head of 'Sex, Lies and Internet' today and find out who was in that video with Rebecca."

"Okay. Once the remains are cleaned, I'll see if there's anything I can tell about the attacks." Brennan and Booth looked up as a light knock sounded on the door to the office.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Dr. Brennan, but a package just arrived for you." Brennan stood and took the package from the security guard. "We already checked the contents since it came with no return address, and everything is clear."

"Thank you," Brennan responded and opened the box. Both she and Booth frowned as they looked at the contents of the box. Inside was a single DVD in a clear cover. Temperance moved around to her desk and popped it into the computer once it was booted up. As the disk began to play, the words, 'Let the storm hit' flashed across the screen before everything went to static.


	9. Chapter 9

"This is a coded DVD," Angela said as she stared at the static on the computer screen. "Embedded in this snow is information, usually something meant to remain private. Give me a second and I can get that information decoded." The artist turned back to her computer and entered a few commands. Booth paced the office while Brennan sat across from Angela. She had a feeling of dread welling up at what information could be on that DVD. Was it a video of Beth Burkshire's murder? Did it show some other unfortunate victim?

Booth looked at Brennan with concern. She looked the worse for wear and seemed paler than usual. Just as he was about to ask if she was okay, Angela let out a 'ha' of triumph.

"And here we go kids." Angela swung the computer monitor so that it was visible to the pair. On the screen, a website was listed.

"That's it? That's what was encoded on that DVD?" Booth was surprised. That didn't seem too bad yet. But what did they mean by a storm about to blow over? Angela wrote down the web address and entered it into her search engine. As the screen loaded, Brennan gasped and Booth's eyes went wide.

"Oh. My. God." Angela watched as on the computer screen an image of Booth and Brennan locked together in an intimate embrace appeared. The artist turned to Brennan, somewhat astounded. "I thought you said you never taped yourself having sex."

"We haven't," Booth ground out. "That was at the St. Regis Hotel. How the hell did those bastards get a camera into our room?" The FBI agent stormed out of the room, pulling out his phone as he did so. Angela clicked off of the website and looked at her best friend.

"Bren, are you okay?"

"This is going to get out to the media isn't it?" She dropped her head into her hands and let out a deep breath. "That's what they meant by a media storm. Ange, I have to go. Get a hold of Charlie and see if he can track that website and find out who's had access to it. I need to stop this before it makes it to press." Brennan stood and left the room, striding across the lab to her office. She needed to get someone she trusted to take care of this video, and ground her teeth together at the thought that Caroline Julian was the only person that came to mind.

XxXxX

Charlie sat before his computer as he loaded up the website that Angela gave him. He didn't think it would be too difficult to track the IP address unless it was routed through several different servers. Even that was possible to track, it would just take longer. He tapped a pen on his desk, stopping abruptly at the images playing on the screen.

He was dumbstruck and unable to look away as he watched Booth and Brennan in the throes of passion. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Booth is going to kill me. He reached for the monitor to turn off the screen, but not fast enough.

"Charlie, what the hell are you looking at?" Charlie looked up, stricken at being caught by Booth's boss, Santana.

"I, it's not what it looks like!"

"It looks like you're using a Bureau computer to look at… Is that Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan?" The SAC's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Yes sir."

"And um…" he glanced at the images on the screen once more. "Why are you watching this?"

"I was asked to track the site to find out where it's originating from."

"Ah."

"Yeah." Santana cleared his throat and folded his arms across his chest.

"When you see Booth, tell him I need to see him immediately."

"Yes, sir."

"Carry on then." Santana nodded at Charlie and walked away. Charlie let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and turned back to the computer. Maybe he could find a way to speed up the search.

XxXxX

"You want to tell me how in the hell cameras got into my hotel room? This is supposed to be a five star hotel, and I find out that somehow someone managed to video tape me and my wife." Booth glared at the hotel manager, barely holding his anger in check.

"Sir, I assure you that no one on our staff would do something that deplorable. We have very high standards here at the St. Regis."

"Yeah? Well someone put those cameras in there, and that would mean that someone on your staff was responsible. I want a record of everyone that was working in the hotel that entire week, because if it happened to me, I can guarantee you it happened to someone else."

"I haven't heard…"

"Look, just get me that damned list. I could turn this into a legal issue which would be incredibly bad press for your hotel, but at the moment, I'm not. You cooperate with me and I'll keep this as quiet as possible."

"Yes sir. Just give me a few minutes to have the lists pulled." The manager left Booth in his office as he hurried out to see their Human Resources department. The special agent was livid, and the urge to throw something was getting a little bit overwhelming. He clenched and unclenched his hands and began to pace as he waited for the list. If those sickos thought that this would sidetrack him, then they were wrong.

His thoughts wandered back to Howard Epps. That sick bastard tried to play mind games with him and the squints, but in the end he was the ultimate loser. No, Booth thought. Howard Epps didn't lose. He got exactly what he wanted. He hurt Bones and made her kill someone, albeit from prison, and he pulled the major mind fuck on me. Booth ran a hand down his face and blew out a breath. These latest bastards weren't going to do the same thing.

"Here you go Agent Booth," the hotel manager said as he came back into the office. "Everyone who works for the hotel is here, and those that were scheduled to work that week are highlighted."

"Thank you," Booth said as he leafed through the stack. "I'll get back to you when I need to speak to any of your employees."

"Of course. If I can be of any further assistance…"

"Just have the hotel rooms searched for cameras and let me know what you find."

XxXxX

"So you've had consistent back pain for about a day," Dr. Tarlow asked Brennan as she ran an ultrasound wand over her abdomen.

"Yes. The case I'm involved in is a bit stressful, and I think it's due to some long hours spent at the lab."

"I've told you to not push yourself before," the doctor tutted as she examined the images flashing across the screen.

"In this case, it couldn't be helped."

"Well the baby looks okay, but considering that your blood pressure is a bit high and you've had the back pain, I'm going to have to place you on bed rest for the time being."

"What? I can't do that. I'm in the middle of a case."

"Temperance, you could risk a miscarriage if you continue to work at your current pace. I'll see you each week from this point on, and if it looks as though the problems are clearing up, then we'll discuss your options. Now, do you have someone that can stay with you during the day? When I say bed rest I mean just that. I don't want you up and about at all." Temperance sighed and nodded her head.

"My father can stay with me."

"Good. Now take it easy and I'll see you next week, okay?"

"Okay Dr. Tarlow." The doctor smiled at Temperance and left the anthropologist alone to redress.

Bed rest. She was going on bed rest at the worst possible time. Well if she had to be confined, then she could probably use her laptop to stay connected with the lab. She knew that the others could handle the details, but since her personal life was now involved there was no way she would sit back and let her team do all of the work.

XxXxX

"Booth, Santana wants to see you in his office," Charlie said as the agent stepped onto the floor and headed for his office. Booth looked curiously at Charlie, wondering why he looked so embarrassed.

"Did he say what it was about?" The agent frowned when he realized that Charlie was not looking at him.

"Um, no. But it might have something to do with video of you and Dr. Brennan…"

"What?"

"Uh, you know the video on that website?" Booth glared at Charlie and then turned to head to his superior's office. As he walked down the hall, he was aware of the looks the other agents sent his way as he went. Oh god…they didn't see the video, did they?

Booth knocked on Santana's door just before he stepped inside the office. Santana looked up at Booth and motioned to a chair.

"Have a seat Booth." Booth did as he was told and waited for his superior to continue. "Do you know why I called you in here?"

"Does it have anything to do with that internet video?"

"Booth, you've been warned several times about your personal life interfering with your professional life. Your ass was saved after that debacle in San Diego, but this is the final straw. Hand in your gun and badge. As of this moment you're on suspension. Don't think that you can get out of this one."

"Sir, I'm afraid you don't have all of the details regarding that video."

"Booth, I don't want to hear it. In the past year, you've managed to have a confidential file fall into the hands of someone not authorized to see it, you engaged in a personal relationship with your partner after you were told to keep it professional. You go on a leave and then demand to work a case that you have a personal connection with, and now this.

"You might be Cullen's favorite, but this has gone far enough! Your personal life is interfering too much with this work environment. I'm sorry but this is the last straw." He held out his hand for Booth's badge as the agent pulled out and disarmed his gun. "No more exceptions for you. We'll call you when the board reaches a decision on your status."


	10. Chapter 10

Booth blew out a breath as he stepped into the house and set his keys in a basket Brennan put by the door. This just wasn't his day. How in the hell did Santana find out about that internet site, and why did he think that it was put up by him and his wife? Now, he was suspended…again…and this time it didn't look like he'd have a way to clear his name.

Charlie was forbidden from assisting him this time, and if he got caught making inquiries himself there would be a lot of shit hitting the fan. The last thing he wanted was more trouble. He ran a hand down his face and settled it at his waist as he closed his eyes and shook his head. How was he going to explain this one to Bones?

"Booth, what are you doing here?" Booth opened his eyes and looked at Max Keenan coming from the direction of the kitchen. He frowned when he noticed the tray of tea he was carrying.

"I could ask you the same thing. Are you planning to move in or something?"

"No. Temperance called me not too long ago and asked if I could meet her here. Her doctor's appointment didn't go so well today." Booth frowned as he followed Max up the stairs to the second level.

"She had an appointment today? She didn't say anything to me."

"Her back was bothering her, so she went in to make sure everything was okay. Everything is fine for the most part, but as a precaution her doctor put her on bed rest."

"What?" Booth ran up the stairs past Max and burst into the master bedroom. Brennan was sitting up in bed, typing on her laptop and looking rather grumpy. She looked up as Booth came in the room, her eyebrows raised slightly in question. "Damn it all to hell. I really needed you at the lab."

"Why, what's happened?"

"Santana saw the video, so as of today I am relieved of duty until the review board makes a decision on my 'unprofessional' behavior."

"He can't do that! It's not like we posted that video on the internet. How does he think he can get away with this? Did you speak with Cullen?"

"The two men with guns that escorted me from the building kind of kept me from speaking to anyone."

"What video," Max asked as he made it to the room. He set the tray down on a nightstand as he waited for an answer to his question.

"It's nothing," Booth responded as Brennan said, "Someone managed to record Booth and I having sex and posted it on the internet." Max went a bit ashen and ran a hand through his hair.

"Bones, I don't think this is any of your father's business."

"Someone got a tape of the two of you how?" Max looked from one to the other, the wheels turning in his head. He was a straight walker now for the most part, but he still had connections. Maybe he could help discover who was behind this mess.

"I was trying to find that out when I got suspended. Now I have no access to the case whatsoever." Booth began to pace, his hands at his waist. He wanted to hit something really bad. Maybe he should just retreat down to the basement. If he recalled, there was a punching bag set up in one corner.

"Cam, Jack and Angela are still working on the case, so I'm sure I can find out from them what's going on. I might not be able to go into the lab, but I can still participate in a video conference."

"Bones, don't do anything that could stress you out. It's not healthy for you right now." Temperance looked at Booth, determination written across her features.

"I'll be under more stress if I don't know what's going on than I would be if I participate. I'll stay here, so I won't be going against Dr. Tarlow's orders."

"You know Booth, I find it's just easier to do what she says when she gets like that," Max said as he watched the exchange. Booth turned a glare onto his father in law before he sighed.

"I don't like the idea of you doing this, but it's better than nothing I guess. I'll call Cam and let her know what's going on. Have you spoken with Caroline yet about the legalities involved with that video being posted?"

"No, but why don't you talk to Caroline and I'll call Cam. You're better with her than I am, and I already owe her two favors." Booth nodded and left the room as he fished his cell phone from his pocket. Once he was out of the room, Brennan looked at her father. "Dad, you know I would never ask…"

"You want me to track down whoever put out that video?"

"No. I want you to go to the Jeffersonian and talk with Angela about the videos she's been analyzing. See if she has any proof that the same couple is involved in each suspected murder."

"You think the people in those videos are responsible?"

"Yes, but I don't think that they'll be easy to find."

"I can see if any of my old associates knows anything about them, maybe has some information about how they work?"

"Dad, don't you dare do anything illegal. We don't need anymore trouble for this family."

"Okay honey, I'll be careful. Oh, by the way, your brother called earlier. He and Amy are having a boy. I just thought you'd want to know." Brennan smiled and gave her father a hug as he leaned in over the bed. He kissed her on the forehead and left her alone to head to the Jeffersonian.

XxXxX

"Cherie, you want to tell me why your naked butt is posted all over the television?" Caroline flicked off the television, shaking her head at the amount of trouble Booth and Brennan seemed to get themselves into.

"That's why I'm calling. I need you to sue the hell out of the porn company 'Sex, Lies and Internet'."

"I take it then that you and the good doctor had no idea about this video?"

"No. Someone set up cameras in out hotel room without our knowledge, and now a serial killer is playing games with us."

"And why aren't you going after them Cherie?"

"Because I've been placed on suspension. Please Caroline, I need help with this." The lawyer sighed and settled back in her chair.

"Do you realize that this is the third time I've had to bail out either you or your wife? You're going to owe me."

"Yeah, I get that. Now are you going to help me or not?"

"Of course I'm going to help. I don't need to have my evening news showing your private moments. It's just not right, and no offense but it's not something I want to see."

"So a forced kiss under the mistletoe is okay, but a video…."

"There's a lot more showing in that video than a simple kiss. I'll let you know when I serve those papers Booth."

"Thank you, really." Booth let out a relieved breath as the call ended. If anyone could help them, he knew Caroline could do it.

XxXxX

"Max, what are you doing here," Angela asked as the elder Brennan stepped into her office. He looked somewhat uncomfortable as he rocked back and forth on his heels. The artist motioned to a chair and waited for Max to sit down. "Is something wrong with Bren? She didn't come back after her appointment."

"She's been placed on bed rest by her doctor. Angela, Temperance sent me down here to see if you had the information on those videos you were analyzing."

"Why didn't Booth come down here?"

"He's been suspended."

"What? What the hell happened?"

"His superiors felt that his personal life was interfering too much with his work life."

"Well that's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard. Please tell me that the video wasn't the cause of this whole thing."

"I think that had some to do with it. The videos, Ange?" Max smiled tensely at the artist as she snapped back into action. She pulled up information on her computer and turned the screen to show Max.

"I've analyzed several different videos and used my mass recognition program to ensure accurate results. Five of them show the same couple raping and murdering these girls. The mass recognition program confirmed that they were a match, as did a voice analysis of the killers."

"Has anyone been able to track down the owner of the company that puts out these tapes?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Booth was going to do that, but if he's suspended…" Angela shrugged and copied the information onto a DVD. She handed the disc to Max and blew out a breath. "I just hope they're able to find these sickos before someone else is killed."

"Me too, Angela. Me too."


	11. Chapter 11

"What is Max doing in Dr. Brennan's office," Cam asked to no one in particular as she glanced in the direction of the forensic anthropologist's office. Angela swiped onto the platform and set down her sketch pad.

"He said he needed to look up a few things. Since Booth was suspended and Bren's on bed rest, I think he's trying to help out as best he can."

"His way doesn't include anything illegal does it?"

"I suppose it's possible, but Max has been pretty crime free… you know, other than the murder thing."

"I know Booth was looking up information on the entertainment company that released that film of Rebecca being murdered. Hey, do we know who is going to replace Booth until the board decision?"

"I haven't heard anything. I suppose I can call Deputy Director Cullen and find out." Cam glanced once more into Brennan's office and headed to her own to make the phone call. She sat down after closing the door behind her and dialed Cullen. When he answered, she cut right to the chase.

"Deputy Director Cullen, it's Dr. Saroyan."

"Does this pertain to Agent Booth's suspension?"

"I realize that I have no say in the matter, but there was no good reason for Booth to have been suspended."

"No good reason? There is a sex tape of Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan floating around the internet and you're telling me that there was no good reason for them to be suspended? Agent Booth has been told repeatedly that his personal life has to stay separate from his private life."

"And I agree with that sir. You're not taking into account however that the tape was released by our murder suspects after being filmed illegally. How is that in any way his fault?" There was silence on the line for a moment and Cullen cleared his throat before answering.

"From what Santana told me, well he made it sound as though… Until the board meets to discuss this matter, Agent Booth remains under suspension. The case is currently being handed over to Agent Chelsea Shourt. She'll be over soon to discuss any findings you have. Is there anything else Dr. Saroyan?"

"No, I think that covers it. Just for the record, that suspension is bull and you know it."

"Booth has been on shaky ground ever since that incident in California. Even if I agree with you on this matter, it's not up to me to reinstate him. I'll do what I can to get his job back however."

"Please see that you do, otherwise I can't guarantee that my people will be that cooperative in the future."

"I understand."

"Good, then we know where the other's opinion stands. We'll make sure that Agent Shourt has all of the details on this case." They said their goodbyes, and Cam hung up the phone with a sigh. Well, it was worth a try. Now it was up to her team to prove why they needed Booth.

In Brennan's office, Max clicked from one site to the next, looking for what information he could find on the adult entertainment company. There were no owners listed, nor could he find any information on the people who worked there. It almost seemed to be a ghost company. He made copies of all the information to give to Booth so he'd know what was going on with the case. As he headed from the office, he paused in the doorway to check out the newly assigned FBI agent.

The woman was young and had an air of confidence which could rival that of Temperance herself. She waited at the foot of the examination platform for security to scan her in, smiling at Cam as the pathologist met her.

"Dr. Saroyan, I'm Agent Chelsea Shourt. I'll be taking over the current case from Agent Booth." The two women shook hands, and Max moved around to hear what was being said.

"No disrespect, but we're expecting Booth to be reinstated soon." Agent Shourt pulled a bit of a face at the comment.

"Yes, well regardless of what you're expecting, I'm working this case. Now what can you tell me about your findings?"

"Well, this one's a little difficult. Why don't we go to holographics and we can show you what we've found."

"Show me? What do you mean exactly?" Cam pressed her lips together and indicated the direction of the Angelator.

"What do you know about this case Agent Shourt?"

"Well the information given to me indicates that we're looking for a serial killer. I know there were several files pulled in relation to this case…"

"Yes, Booth looked over the files and brought us everything that matched the m.o. of the murderers."

"Murderers? As in more than one?" Cam nodded and led Agent Shourt to the Angelator. She glanced back once to see Max hovering in the doorway. At a quick motion of her head, Max ducked into the room, staying just out of the agent's sight.

"Angela, did you finish the three dimensional rendering?" Angela looked up from her desk and nodded.

"Yeah, and can I just say that I thought the videos were bad enough but now? Ugh." She turned on the holographic program and ran the scenario. Chelsea watched the rendering, fascinated in a horrified way at the images images playing out before them.

"This is our victim from San Diego. When we reviewed the remains, they were heavily predated upon due to the time spent in water," Cam said and motioned for Angel to pause the clip. "Our victim had fractures along her spine, occipital bone and compaction from a fall. We determined that she was sexually assaulted, and evidence on this video shows exactly what we found." Chelsea closed her eyes and swallowed, bile rising in her throat.

"And you have videos for all of the cases?"

"Yes, all except our latest victim, but that could be due to the recentness of the murder."

"So the same people murdered each woman?"

"Yes. The evidence collected from each case is currently being examined to see if anything can lead us to the murderers." Chelsea wrote down some notes and gave a quick nod.

"Is anyone looking into the company that put out those videos?" Cam glanced quickly at Max, and then back to Agent Shourt.

"Booth was working that angle, though I'm not sure how far he was in the process."

"Well, I'll look into it and see what I can find. Please let me know if you find out anything else." Agent Shourt left the office. Once she was out of the lab, Cam turned her attention to Max.

"Why do I get the impression you've discovered something?"

"Look, I'm only trying to help out my kids. I did some digging and found out that there is officially no company called 'Sex, Lies, and Internet'. There was a few years ago, but any information more recent than two thousand three is simply not there." Cam looked at Max with her arms crossed.

"So what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that whoever released that tape of my daughter is 'head' of the porn company and the FBI aren't going to find anything."

"Do you think you can do any better," Angela asked him. Max gave her a grim smile and nodded.

"You don't get to be a con man my age unless you have friends in unusual places. I bet I can find out who is putting out these videos and arrange a meeting with them before the FBI even has an Id."

"Max, don't you dare do anything illegal. There's enough going on right now that Booth and Dr. Brennan don't need you getting in trouble on top of it."

"Don't worry, I'm not about to do anything illegal." Max turned and left the office, waving his hand at the two women as he went. Angela and Cam watched him go before they turned to look at each other.

"So, what do you think he's going to do," the artist asked. Cam shrugged and glanced back up at the angelator.

"I wouldn't put him past threatening the Deputy Director to reinstate Booth. I just hope that's not what he plans to do."

XxXxX

Sam Cullen yawned as he headed to his car. He generally didn't like to stay late at the office, but the whole fiasco with Agent Booth caused way too much paperwork to get out at a decent hour. He shook his head and fumbled for his keys. There had to be a piece of information missing amidst this whole mess. Booth and Dr. Brennan weren't the types to display their personal relations to the world. Hell, they'd managed to keep their relationship a secret for six months, and it most likely would have remained a secret if not for the accidental marriage in Alabama. Leave it to them to accidentally get married.

He shook his head and stopped next to his car door. Those two just couldn't seem to catch a break, especially if the paparazzi was anywhere in the vicinity. He had to give it to the pair for grace under fire. They'd both grown so much within the partnership, and the proof was in Booth's handling of his son's case. Yes it had been a conflict of interest, but he'd followed procedure and the little boy was found unharmed.

Cullen unlocked the door, opened it and threw his briefcase into the car. Before he could get in however, a hand settled onto his shoulder.

"Deputy Director Cullen, I'm disappointed in you." A shiver ran down Cullen's neck at the words. The tone was cold and detached, but the voice was all too familiar. Sam turned around to face Max Keenan. He kept his expression as neutral as possible as he faced the man who killed his direct boss.

"What do you want Max?"

"I like you Director Cullen. You're an honest man and you've generally shown my daughter and son-in-law with the respect they deserve, but now you've disappointed me immensely." Max let go of Cullen's shoulder and put his hands in his pockets. Cullen waited, knowing that the ex-con would get around to whatever he had to say eventually. "You shouldn't have allowed Booth to be suspended."

"That was not my decision. The review board laid out specific rules regarding Booth's conduct and those rules were broken."

"Oh, and how were they broken? The person responsible for murdering the victim in their latest case released that video of their intimate moments. They had nothing to do with that tape and you know it. So don't tell me that they violated some set of rules."

"You're here to get me to reinstate Booth?"

"Amongst other things. I have information about the company that released that sex tape and I know that you aren't going to find them at all, but I can." Cullen arched a brow up as he looked at Max.

"What makes you think that you can find them faster than the FBI?"

"Because I have connections that you don't. I can help you put away serial murderers, but I won't do that so long as Booth is off the case. I can assure you that you'll get nowhere without me."

"I don't work well under threats Mr. Keenan."

"And I don't believe that I've threatened you. I told you already that I like you. You're an honest man and I know you'll do what you feel is right." The two men looked at each other for a long time before Cullen sighed in defeat.

"I'll talk to the board and see what I can do about Booth. In the meantime, we're doing things my way. If we aren't able to turn up any leads within the next couple of days, I'll give your proposal some thought."

"You're a good man Cullen." Max slapped the Deputy Director on the arm and left him standing by the car. As Sam watched him walk away, he was sure that the entire encounter wouldn't have any evidence showing that he'd actually talked to Max Keenan. He took a moment to admire the con man's audacity before getting into his car. He'd take care of the details in the morning, but for now he was going to go home and get some sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

"Booth, you need to relax," Temperance said when Booth finally made his way up from the basement. He toweled off the sweat covering his body and flopped next to her on the bed with a mirthless laugh.

"This coming from the woman put on bed rest because of stress." Brennan frowned at him and huffed a little bit.

"You don't have to be cruel in your responses. I'm just concerned about you." Booth sighed and turned a bit toward his wife. He was surprised to see her eyes watering a bit with tears.

"Baby, I'm sorry but I'm just a little preoccupied with losing my job, and I'm worried about you."

"Well you certainly haven't shown it." She wiped away a stray tear. She would not cry about this damn it. "You came home and didn't even ask if I was okay, or what happened." Another tear leaked from her eyes. Booth felt his heart constricting as he watched her unusual display of emotion.

"Temperance, you're everything to me, you know that. Please don't cry baby." He reached out for her, but she shrugged him away as she swiped at her eyes again.

"You stink." Booth looked at her for a moment and started to laugh. Before she could move away again, he leaned in quickly and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "Okay, I'll take the hint and take a shower. You want me to draw you a bath when I'm done?"

"No, I'm fine. I just want everything to get straightened out. Once we find whoever put out that tape, then I'll relax." Booth kissed her once again and climbed off the bed. As he reached the ensuite bathroom, he turned to look at Brennan.

"You sure you won't join me? I'm sure I could find some way to help you relax a bit." Temperance smiled and shook her head.

"I believe you were the one who needed to relax, not me."

"Who says we can't relax together?" Brennan grabbed a pillow from the bed and chucked it at Booth. He ducked at the expertly thrown cushion and stepped into the bathroom. "Okay, I'll take a hint."

"Love you," Brennan said before she turned back to her computer. She heard the shower turn on and Booth's voice echoing out from the bathroom.

"Love you too baby."

XxXxX

"Tommy, thanks for meeting with me," Max said as he sat across from a rather shady looking fellow. The man looked around nervously, trying to scope the doors of the place.

"What is it with you and control? I don't like having my back exposed."

"I'll let you know if there's trouble. Now, what can you tell me about this porn company?" Max took a sip of beer and set the bottle back onto the table.

"Bad joojoo there man. They used to be legitimate, but something happened about five years back and no one's heard from them since." Max leaned forward and clamped his hand down onto Tommy's, squeezing it hard.

"Don't you dare tell me that no one knows how to get a hold of them. I know you can set up something." Tommy tried to pull his hand away, but only succeeded in getting Max to tighten his grip. After a brief struggle, Tommy sighed and gave a small nod.

"Look, I'll set you up with a guy, but he's only the middle man. You want to meet the big wigs, you need to have money."

"That's all I'm asking. I'll take care of the details; you just get me the meeting." Tommy nodded and flexed his hand as soon as Max let go of it. He just looked at the ex-con as Max took a sip of beer.

"I hope you know what you're getting into. Those people are dangerous. There's a reason they haven't got caught up to this point."

"Yeah well they've messed with my family and I have to protect them."

"Just be careful Max. You're getting too well known to stay anonymous for long." Max gave the man a nod and got up, throwing a few bills onto the table.

"You know where to find me when everything is set up." With that he left the bar and Tommy alone.

XxXxX

Booth stepped out of the bathroom feeling much better. He had a towel wrapped around his hips, threatening to fall off, and was toweling off his hair with another. Brennan looked up at him and shook her head.

"Booth, for such an aggressive alpha, male type, you exhibit certain aspects of your personality that are so feminine in gender quality." Booth glanced at Brennan and frowned.

"Did you just call me a girl?"

"No. I merely stated that you behave on occasion in ways that are generally associated as feminine."

"So you called me a girl." Brennan giggled as he stalked toward the bed. "I'll show you who the girl is." Temperance squealed and scrambled from him as he launched at her. He trapped her gently, keeping aware of not hurting her or putting weight on her. As their eyes met, he leaned in and kissed her. She ran her hands over his naked chest, stopping them at the edge of the towel.

"Booth, we can't have sex," she said when she pulled away from the kiss. He looked down at her and brushed an errant strand of hair from her face.

"There are other things we can do Temperance." He curled up next to her and pulled her body into his, marveling as always at how they fit together so perfectly. He slipped his hands under the edge of her shirt and caressed her belly. "Do you have any idea how sexy you are?"

"Hmm, I don't feel that way. I know that logically I have a standard of beauty I've set for myself based on my appearance and fitness level, but currently I just see myself as losing that self." Booth smiled and kissed the side of her head as his fingers continued to trace patterns on her belly.

"That's a pretty fancy way of saying you think you're getting fat." Brennan pulled a face and turned in his arms to face him.

"Isn't that what you see?"

"What I see is the most beautiful person I've ever met." He swept his hand over her abdomen and pushed her shirt up as he moved down to kiss her stomach. He looked up at her as he kept his lips near her skin. When he spoke again, the low timbre of his voice sent shivers through her body. "This here is something we created together. You are carrying something that is us. It's half you and half me. How could you even think I'd think you were fat? This is beautiful." Temperance looked at Booth for a long time before shifting again so that she almost lay over him. A smile graced her face as her hands slipped down and pulled the towel from his waist. Booth watched her as she pressed her lips onto his chest and began a descent, kissing and swirling her tongue over his body.

He was becoming aroused as she got closer and closer to his groin; the evidence of his arousal lay heavily against his body. When Brennan reached it, she sat up and encircled him with her hand. He groaned and lay back on the bed as she began to stroke him.

"Bones," he said, closing his eyes and just enjoying the feel of her hands on him, "you don't have to do this you know."

"I'm doing it because I want to," she said and reached past him for a glass of water. She tipped the glass up to her lips and as the liquid slid forward, she took in a couple of ice cubes, holding them against her tongue. Slowly she dropped her head and took him into her mouth.

"Jesus, Temperance," he hissed and bucked off the bed at the sensation of cold surrounding his shaft. She swirled her tongue around him, pressing the ice cubes against him. His hands curled into the sheets and he gripped them tightly as she sucked, pulling her mouth up until only his tip was remained between her lips. He whimpered and thrust his hips up as she swirled the cubes around him, the cold assaulting him. "Baby, you've got to stop," he ground out, but she only hummed in response.

He felt his body tightening as he closed in on what was assured to be an explosion. His breathing was shallow as she continued to work over him and finally with a curse, he could hold back no longer.

XxXxX

"Agent Shourt, what do you have on the Burkshire murder case?" Agent Shourt stood in the doorway of Cullen's office looking rather nervous. Her normal air of self confidence took a back shelf as she approached the Deputy Director.

"There's not much here sir. I was looking over the preliminary findings, but there doesn't seem to be anything concrete."

"And what about the leads Agent Booth was following?"

"I haven't found out anything sir. I tried calling the man he interrogated here regarding the case, Jason Filby. But the man seems to have dropped off the face of the planet. I tried to locate the owner of the entertainment company and again came up with nothing."

"This is extremely disappointing Agent Shourt. Booth would have had leads to go on by this point." Cullen ran a hand over his face and sighed. "From this point on, I'm taking over the investigation. You're relieved of your duties, and I'll make sure to have Santana assign something else to you." The agent nodded and placed the file in her hand on Cullen's desk. As she left, the Deputy Director picked up the phone and dialed a number. He didn't want to do this, but if it meant solving a serial murder case then so be it.

"Hello?"

"Max Keenan? This is Director Cullen. I was wondering if you could stop by the Bureau. I have a proposition for you."


	13. Chapter 13

"Wow, that's some security you've got here," Max said as he sat down across from Deputy Director Cullen. "You'd think I was here to kill someone what with the way everyone was acting."

"Can you blame them for being cautious?"

"No one here as anything to worry about from me. Now, what is it you wanted to discuss with me?"

"I've taken over this case from Agent Shourt and have seemed to hit a wall. I have a proposition for you."

"You need my help to solve this case. If you want my help then we do this my way, you know that."

"Look, I've spoken to the board and they've agreed to allow Booth onto this case, but not as the main investigator. That's the best I can do, and I had to fight to get that much accomplished."

"I appreciate that Director Cullen, I really do. I've already set up a meeting with the people in charge of 'Sex, Lies and Internet'. A contact of mine, Tommy Tripod set it up."

"So what, he's a cameraman that's worked with them before?"

"No."

"Oh, well then how'd he get the nickname….oh. Well that would allow some leverage in those negotiations I suppose."

"The meeting is in Las Vegas at the Adult Industry convention. It's a whole meet and greet the porn stars kind of thing and everyone in the business is there."

"So you're going to Nevada to meet with a couple of killers?"

"No. Booth and Hodgins are going to go to Las Vegas to meet with a couple of killers."

"Christ, you want to get the squints involved in this now?"

"Look Cullen, Jack Hodgins is incredibly wealthy, and if we want to pull this off, then we're going to need someone with money. You know as well as I that Booth won't put him in a position to come to any harm."

"There's a little flaw in your plan Max. With all of this news coverage surrounding Booth and Dr. Brennan, you're all too well known to pull this off without being recognized."

"You don't think I've thought that angle through?"

"Well then what are you going to do about that little inconvenience?"

XxXxX

"You want us to wear make-up prosthetics?" Booth looked at Max with an outraged expression. "No way. Absolutely not."

"You're too recognizable; these people will recognize you instantly. It has to be done Booth." Max looked at his son in law as a light lit up Hodgins' eyes.

"Hold on, that's what I was missing!"

"What?" Both the FBI agent and the ex-con looked at the entomologist. Hodgins hurried over to his computer station to access some information. When he pulled it up, he gave a whoop of victory.

"I was analyzing some of the particulate details on the remains of our victims, most notably Beth Burkshire, and it didn't occur to me until now what I was finding. Each one of the victims had traces of latex and makeup on them. Not a big deal, but together, that leads to prosthetics. Our murderers have altered their appearances."

"So the people we're meeting could look completely different to the people on the video?"

"It's most likely true. We'll need some way to make sure that Angie can get a video feed so that she can use her mass recognition program."

"More important than that, we need voice recognition. If we can get a recording of their voices then we can positively identify them as the killers or not," Booth said, gaining raised eyebrows from Hodgins. "What, you think I don't know what we need for a case? I know there are ways to identify voices."

"Okay so we need a way to record our interactions with whomever it is that Max has us meeting. I think I know just the thing." Hodgins grinned and rubbed his hands together.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to regret this?"

"Come on man; just think of me as Q. Our technology wing has some pretty cool stuff we can use." The scientist had that look in his eye that accompanied either an experiment or a conspiracy rant. Booth sighed as he followed the excited entomologist wondering what exactly it was he was getting himself into.

XxXxX

"What do you mean you have to go to Las Vegas," Temperance said as Booth packed his bag. He glanced over at her from the closet and sighed.

"Look, Cullen has me reinstated as support on this case, and if it means that I can catch the killers, I most certainly am not going to complain."

"Just be careful while you're there." Booth smiled and left the closet to sit next to Brennan on the bed.

"If it makes you feel any better, everything I'm doing while I'm there will be caught on film. You can check in on the feed anytime you want, okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"We need to make sure that we can recognize our murderers, so we have a video feed running the entire time. Angela can take all the footage and use her mass recognition programs to identify our murderers while the voice recordings get matched for confirmation."

"Okay, but how exactly is that going to be accomplished? I get that we need the information but how is it going to be obtained?" Booth grinned and pulled out a pair of glasses.

"These babies have a little camera in them here," he said and pointed to the bridge between the two lenses. "It's like a video link direct to the Jeffersonian." Booth slipped the glasses on and noticed Temperance grinning at him. "What?"

"You have never looked sexier to me, except maybe that one Halloween." Booth raised an eyebrow.

"Me looking like an egghead turns you on?" He crawled across the bed and over her body, trapping her down on the mattress.

"There's nothing about your head that would indicate it was shaped like an egg."

"It's just an expression Bones. It means that you think I look sexy as a squint?" She leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Mmmmm, you have no idea." Their lips met and parted, tongues brushing against the other, rubbing sensually together as a little moan sounded deep in the back of Brennan's throat.

"Yeah, well I think you look sexy like this," Booth said as he broke away from her and kissed a trail down her throat as he pushed the hemline of her shirt up and over her rounded belly. She arched up as his hands slid lower, pulling down her yoga pants. "I know we can't have sex, but is everything off limits?" Booth looked up at her as he placed open mouthed kisses all over her tummy. One of his hands caressed her at the edge of her panties, creating shivers that ran through her body.

"I think that we could experiment a little bit. If it's uncomfortable at all, I'll tell you to stop."

"You're sure?" Brennan nodded as Booth hitched a finger into the waistband of her panties and pulled them off her long legs. She parted them, allowing him to settle between her thighs and waited as he looked at her.

"Seeley, please." He leaned forward and gave a long, slow lick to her until he was at her clitoris.

"Temperance, do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" He lowered his head once more placing small kisses to her mound and shifting downwards as she bucked up against him. He knew he needed to be gentle and careful with her as he circled the small bundle of nerves with his tongue. She whimpered and pressed her hips forward, encouraging him, the heady aroma of arousal surrounding him.

This was about her. He needed to show her how he felt, how much she turned him on, and if he couldn't be buried in her, then this would do. Besides, knowing how much he could pleasure her with a few motions of his tongue was all he needed really.

He reached up, brushing his hands across her belly and toward her breasts. She was beautiful, like his own personal goddess as she writhed under his touch. He reveled in tasting her, loving her until she crested under his attentions.

As she lay on the bed, panting and coming down from her high, Booth slid up the bed and pulled her into him, their bodies fitting together perfectly.

"You doing okay baby?" Brennan turned slightly to look at Booth.

"Yes." She snuggled in closer to him and sighed as her eyes drooped and sleep encroached. "Don't be gone too long."

"Only as long as it takes. We'll get this wrapped up and I'll be back."

"Will you be okay," she asked, and he knew what she was talking about. She'd for whatever reason let his occasional bets with Sweets go, though Lord knows why. His going to sin city was a completely different ball of wax. It had been difficult the last time he was there, when she was with him not to gamble, but now he'd be on his own…with Hodgins. Oh that couldn't bode well for him. Well, he'd just have to find a way to avoid temptation.

"I think so."

"Booth…"

"If I'm not, I'll find a group, okay? If I can't handle being in Vegas on my own, then I don't have the control I think I do. Don't worry about me."

"It comes with the territory I think." Booth smiled and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"That it does Temperance, that it does."

XxXxX

"So did Max say when and where we're supposed to be meeting with these people," Hodgins asked as they exited the plane in Sin City. He pulled a couple of quarters from his pocket and plunked them into a slot machine as they passed by. Booth watched, taking in a deep breath. Christ, they couldn't even get through the airport without there being a damned slot machine.

"Um, yeah, we're meeting with them tomorrow at the convention center. We have rooms in the Las Vegas Hilton, so we won't have to go far to get there."

"Did the government set up the reservations?"

"Yes. Who else would?"

"Well no offense dude, but I am not staying in a regular hotel room. When we get there, we're getting upgrades!" The entomologist sounded way too excited about this trip.

"We're not supposed to be any type of high rollers…"

"Au contraire. You aren't supposed to be a high roller. I on the other hand, am. We both know that the reason I'm here is because I'm the money. I'm known to be rich, and that's our motivation for this meeting. If you want to stay in a crappy regular room, be my guest. Otherwise, I'm offering."

"Fine, whatever you want to do. Can we please go to baggage claim now?" Hodgins pouted but moved away from the slot machine. There were better casinos he could go to while they were here. After all, it's not like it was supposed to be all business and no pleasure.

"Great, so as soon as we check in, you and me, we're going out on the town. I can get some VIP treatment and the city is ours for the taking my man."

"You know, that's okay. I'm just going to hang out in the room, maybe watch a game or something."

"Sports betting! Perfect. I know this great place out here…"

"Hodgins, no. The only gambling I do is with my life, okay? If you want to go out and lose a shitload of money, that's your decision, but I'm not going."

"Wow, who shoved a stick up your butt?" Booth sighed and knew that there was only one way to end this little argument, but he really didn't want to tell his big secret to the bug man.

"Look, I don't gamble because I'm a recovering addict." Hodgins looked at Booth and nodded in understanding.

"Okay man. I'm sure we can find something else to do to fill our time." He clapped the agent on the shoulder and headed to the baggage claim. There were plenty other distractions that Sin City had to offer, and there had to be something they could do while they were in town. Neither said another word as they found the correct carousel and waited for their bags.

Booth glanced once at the entomologist and sighed. There was something going through his head, and he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.


	14. Chapter 14

_AN: Okay guys, just a note for this chapter. Please remember that this series was started long before we met Booth's brother on the show, so I'm working off of what I had in previous stories of this series. I think that's it for the notes here. I hope you enjoy this chapter and we're getting closer to the end with some major information on the case._

"Honey, what are you doing down here," Max asked as he made his way down into the basement. Temperance looked up at her father and smiled.

"I'm just setting up the television to my computer for a conference with the Jeffersonian. Booth and Hodgins are in Las Vegas now and that…" Her face paled and turned red at the same time. Max didn't think something like that was actually possible. "Oh my god."

"Is there something wrong baby?"

"I'm hoping that nothing is wrong although I'm sure to find out once this link is set up." With her cheeks still flaming red, Brennan connected to the Jeffersonian as was greeted by Angela's cheerful face.

"Hey there sweetie, it's good to see you up and about today."

"Ange, the satellite link up from the equipment that Booth and Hodgins are using, when does that become active?"

"It's active now, why did you want to see what those two are up to?"

"When did it become active?" Angela looked at her friend for a moment and smirked.

"You look a little worried sweetie. Did you and Booth do something freaky with those glasses on?" Temperance didn't say a word, but went just a little bit paler. Angela threw back her head laughing while Max walked away in embarrassment. As happy as he was that everything was working out between his daughter and the FBI agent, he did not need details about their sex life.

"He's like Cary Grant in those glasses, right? You are so going to have to give me details later, but for now, we can see what torture Hodgins has set up for the two of them. My money is on a romp through the casinos. Jack is a whale after all."

"I don't know what that means."

"A whale…you know, a high roller? Someone who can lose a hundred thou on a bet and wave it off like it was nothing?"

"I'm hoping that they aren't out gambling actually." Angela pressed a couple of buttons on her end of the line and instantly they had a feed.

"Dude, it's not like we're in a bowling alley. Do you really have to pretend there's an air vent?"

"Hey, you play your way, and I'll play mine, okay? Besides, who has the higher score huh?"

"Hodgins, did Booth happen to tell you that he bowls a two forty five?" Brennan spoke just as Booth was releasing his virtual ball. The image on the screen showed it immediately went into the gutter, and Hodgins began to laugh.

"Hey, great timing Dr. B."

"Bones, couldn't you have waited until after I released the ball to speak?" The two men paused their video game and turned on the computer in their hotel room so they could look directly at Angela and Brennan.

"So when exactly are the two of you taking a foray into the world of porn?"

"We're meeting with those people this evening around six, so we have a few hours to kill before heading over," Booth said, taking off the glasses. It was too weird to see the screen and the screen at the same time.

"There's a professional makeup artist coming to gussy us up a bit before we go to the Adult entertainment expo."

"Yeah," Angela said with a smile, "And how exactly are you going to look?"

"Who knows? They haven't exactly shown us the prosthetics or anything."

"We'll be back on around six your time with the mass and voice recognition programs running."

"Okay. We'll expect you then."

"Booth," Brennan said just before the feed cut off, "Be careful, okay?"

"I will." He offered her a smile before the feed died off. With a sigh, she leaned back on the couch, turning her head only when her father sat next to her on the couch.

"You're worried about him?" She leaned her head on her father's shoulder and smiled.

"I think he'll be okay. I hate that I feel the urge to check up on him though. I trust him, but I just want to make sure, you know?"

"I know what you're saying honey. It's not like you check through his checkbook or bank accounts or anything. You know you can trust him, but it is a worry when you throw him in the middle of something he's fighting." Temperance glanced at her father, one eyebrow raised.

"How do you know what I'm worried about?"

"I saw him playing with the poker chip. Anyone who goes through a twelve step program has something. Alcoholics have beer caps, gamblers have poker chips." The two sat in silence for a moment before Brennan turned to her father again.

"Do you think you could take me to the Jeffersonian for the feed later this evening?"

"You know you're supposed to be on bed rest."

"I'll just stay put on Angela's couch. It's only been a few days, but I'm going stir crazy." Max shook his head and smiled at his daughter.

"Does your doctor know that limiting your movement is a bad idea?"

"I know that she's doing what she feels is safest for both myself and the baby, but honestly I'll be under less stress if I can work."

"Any work you do will be from a comfortable sitting position, but I suppose I can relent and take you to the museum." Brennan flashed a brilliant smile to her father.

"Thanks dad." He kissed the top of her head as he stood up.

"Anytime pumpkin."

XxXxX

"Hey dad, did you see this?" Jared Booth stepped into the family room where his son was watching television. He glanced once at the screen and frowned.

"Tucker, what are you watching?"

"G4 has live coverage of the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas." Jared's eyebrows shot through the roof as he headed to the television to turn it off.

"And I would let an eleven year old watch this crap, why?" Jared reached for the television remote but paused at the information on the screen. There was a top ten list of celebrity sex tapes listed and the show hosts were nearing the top two.

"Surprisingly, the ever resilient Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson video did not make the top of the list. Instead it's the newcomers, Temperance Brennan and her law enforcement husband Seeley Booth that took the number one spot…" the show went on to proclaim. Jared stared in shock at the screen as a brief clip showed on the television, with appropriate censor strips in place.

"Well fuck."

"Dude, Uncle Seeley's so cool," Tucker said before his father turned on him.

"You have five seconds to get to your room, and if I find out that you have this trash on in there you are in some serious trouble, you got that?" Tucker nodded and raced up the stairs. Jared turned off the television set and shook his head. Jesus what had his brother gotten himself into now? Please don't let mom and dad see anything about this. That would just make everything oh so peachy all around.

XxXxX

"Okay Agent Booth, you're all set," the makeup artist said as she moved back from Booth. She had a smile on her face as she slipped the glasses onto his face and held up a mirror. Booth looked at himself for a minute. His hair was colored a dark blond, something that seemed odd to him because of his normally dark brown hair, and the color contacts in his eyes made them a hazel color. His jawbone looked much more square and his cheekbones less prominent. The only thing that seemed to remain him was his skin tone, which seemed to clash horribly with the blond hair.

"Are you serious? This is how I look?" He made a face, which seemed odd as he continued to look in the mirror because it was like staring into a stranger's face. Even his hair, minus the product was curling tightly to his head. Jack came into the room and started to laugh.

"Dude, you are so going to fit in there. You look like one of those goons that would be in a porno."

"Yeah, thanks for that Skippy. That makes me feel so much better about the look." Booth set down the mirror and stood up as the makeup artist packed up to leave. Booth smoothed down his shirt and pulled on his shoulder harness.

"Hey, I'm just saying you'll fit in there."

"And why the hell do I have to wear these tight ass leather pants? I'm supposed to be security for you, not some plaything.

"You should be glad you can get away with them. We went over this before right? I'm a flashy high roller and you're the equally flashy bodyguard. Flashy equals leather pants."

"No it doesn't, and if it did, you'd be wearing them too." Booth pulled on a long leather coat to go with the ensemble, grumbling the entire time. At least the coat was cool, but honestly, who would be intimidated by a blond in leather pants and a duster?

"Yeah, well I'll go with the bright colors and you go with the bad-ass look. It works for you man, although maybe I should wear the glasses. They kind of detract from the bad-ass look."

"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear you say that. You know what this is like? This is like I'm some egghead who's trying way too hard to be cool, like in my off time I should be wearing tan suits and bow ties."

"Eh, it's only for a little while. So go over what's supposed to happen again? Do we take them out after the money is exchanged?"

"Yes, once the money is exchanged then we can arrest the bastards for taking money for a professional hit."

"Just wondering, but what if they don't want to take the money up front?"

"Why the hell wouldn't they?" Hodgins shrugged.

"Who knows why people do anything they do? I'm just saying that we have to have all of our bases covered."

"They'll take the money, I'm sure of it."

"Okay, then let's go do this thing."

XxXxX

"Hey, what's with the powwow in Angela's office," Sweets said as he stepped into the packed space. He noted with mild surprise that Brennan was on the couch, looking nervous while the rest of the group seemed somewhat jovial by comparison.

"We're here to watch the live feed from Vegas. Hodgins and Booth are getting ready to meet with the people connected to that porn company," Angela informed the therapist as he sat on the arm of a chair.

"Well on that, I have some information regarding the murderers." Brennan looked at him from her place on the couch, her eyebrows raised in anticipation.

"What information do you have that we didn't have before?"

"I have a program that I can use to run information on serial murders. Basically what the program does is calibrate the most likely area that a murderer lives. Serial murderers always pick victims from areas close to where they live and areas that are familiar to them."

"That doesn't make sense though. Rebecca was murdered in California, while the rest of the victims were murdered along the East Coast."

"Exactly, but weren't you the one to say that something was different about Rebecca's murder than the rest?"

"Yes."

"Well I factored that in. At first, the program wasn't giving any beneficial results, but then it occurred to me what was wrong. The killers most likely didn't plan to kill Rebecca. They were on vacation. See, if they do this for money, then there was no reason to do it. No one asked them to, so they were planning to just take her to her destination and that's it. I think that somewhere along the line, they changed their mind which is also why you don't see their faces in that particular video as well."

"So they murdered the girl for shits and giggles," Angela asked, mildly disgusted.

"Yes. When her murder is removed from the program, we get a central location to all murders as being Richmond, Virginia."

"So these people are relatively local then," Cam said.

"Yes, and that's why Beth was flown out here from California. They operate on the East Coast."

"Okay, I'm sure this is all information that Booth and Hodgins can use, so let's link up with them now and make sure they have all the facts before the meeting."


	15. Chapter 15

_AN: Okay so I've had bad timing on these last two chapters as far as posting is concerned. This chapter has a lot of important information that I hope isn't too confusing. Please let me know what you think. I don't like to pander for reviews, but I only got a few for the last chapter and really do like to know your opinions. I can't improve as a writer if I don't know what my readers think. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter as things begin to pick up here._

"Agent Burns, I need you to run records on all of these people," Cullen said and dropped a file onto the agent's desk. Charlie looked up at Cullen and nodded.

"When do you need this done?"

"As soon as possible. Please drop off all information to me directly. Were you able to find out the source of the website?"

"Yes. We routed the website back to its source in Richmond. I have the address… here." Charlie picked up a paper from his desk and handed it to the deputy director. Cullen looked over the information and nodded.

"Very good. I want you to go tomorrow and speak to whoever is in charge there. We're going to catch these bastards before anyone else gets hurt." Charlie nodded again and opened his mouth as Cullen turned to head back to his office.

"Sir, I know it's not my place to say anything, but I'm glad to know that Agent Booth was able to be reactivated to assist on this case. He shouldn't have been put on suspension in the first place." Cullen turned back around and regarded the junior agent for a moment.

"Do you think it's right that Booth be given allowances for behavior that goes against the FBI code of conduct?"

"No sir. No agent should be given allowances, but in this instance he's done nothing wrong."

"I'll agree with you on this instance, but what about over the course of the past year?"

"I'll grant you that he was justifiably punished for the case problems in San Diego, but since that time he's not done anything to warrant the type of scrutiny he's been receiving."

"Agent Booth was given a direct order to keep his relationship with Dr. Brennan professional, and yet they engaged in a romantic relationship. How is that not doing anything wrong?" Cullen was curious to know what the junior agent thought of the situation. There was some thinking to be done on the entire matter, and Charlie had worked under Booth for long enough to have a strong opinion of the man.

"There are no regulations banning a romantic relationship between an agent and an outside consultant. As much as the two of them work together as partners, Dr. Brennan is not an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and thereby not held to the same rules and regulations as an agent would be. The fact that they didn't mention the relationship was most likely out of self preservation, but they've never shown any conflict of interest in their work as a result of it."

"Well, thank you for your candor Agent Burns. If you could please get on those background checks. I'm looking for anyone who might have a need to earn money on the side. Look for anyone with gambling debts especially."

"Yes sir." Charlie turned to his computer to begin work immediately as Cullen returned to his office. There was still more to do, but for now the details were being processed. He turned on his own computer and pulled up the feed to the Jeffersonian to see if Booth and Hodgins had met up with the contact yet.

XxXxX

"Okay, we're all set," Angela said as she connected her computer to the large screen in her office. She sat down next to Brennan and flicked on the television. The convention came to vivid life as the feed from Booth's glasses flickered on.

"…that's a good one, the Eve's Ruby Delight."

"Yeah, what's it for?"

"Well, the bowl-shaped opening stimulates your cock's head and shaft as you thrust! Pull out all the way and slide back in, you'll throb uncontrollably as it "sucks" away. It feels just like a real mouth!" The pink tunnel looking device was sat hastily down onto the table of toys.

"That's just… yeah I don't need that. I'm married."

"Well that's a surprise, not that you're married, but that you don't feel the need to have a masturbatory aid. Obviously your wife isn't here unless this other gentleman…" The sales lady pointed to Hodgins, who was looking at a sparkly purple dildo with a vibrate feature. Jack put the toy down and glanced at Booth.

"I'm not gay! Why the hell does everyone think I'm gay?"

"Don't get defensive here sir, I wasn't trying to imply anything. I was merely going to point out that your wife probably has items that she uses in your absence. It's perfectly normal to have toys to use to get yourself off. This model…" The sales girl stopped as she was reaching for a false vagina when a man approached from the left. Booth and Hodgins both turned to look at the man. He gave them both a once over before turning toward the entomologist.

"You Jack Hodgins? I was told to meet you here." Jack nodded his head and followed the man as they walked away from the sex toy stall.

"We've been waiting." The stranger glanced once more at Booth as they continued along.

"I was told you'd be alone. Who's the goon?"

"He's my bodyguard. Trust me when I say I've learned not to take chances when dealing with associates. If I go somewhere then 'William' here comes along. I'm sure your people will understand."

"That's for them to decide. I was told you'd be alone and they don't like surprises." No one said a word as they continued through the rows of stalls. Porn stars sat at booths signing autographs, while some did pole dances at set up stages. Booth was getting nervous as they moved farther and farther from the throng of the crowd. He was keyed up and prepared for anything, that was one good thing that came from his time in the army, but it didn't ease his nerves any.

"So how's this gonna go," Jack asked as they continued along. Up ahead was a doorway leading into a darkened room. Booth squinted, but the only thing he could make out were shadowy figures inside.

"You'll meet with my associates, and if they like the offer they're getting, then they'll agree to do a film. If not, well you're out on your ass." The man led them into the room, and it became obvious why it was so set apart from the rest of the convention. While everyone else had toys displayed or aired clips of adult films while the porn stars signed autographs, this was for the folks seriously into BDSM. Men and women alike were chained or tied down to different surfaces while the dominant took liberties with the submissive partner. "You wait here and I'll go see if they're ready for you."

"Oh man, this is some pretty sick stuff," Booth murmured to Jack as they looked around the room. While none of it was illegal per se due to the consenting nature of the sex, it still disturbed the FBI agent to no end. His thoughts flickered back to both the pony play incident, and the case in which Brennan was up against her former professor. He'd said it before and he'd say it again. Anyone who engaged in sex practices like these had to have problems with their relationships in real life.

"I've tied Angie up a couple of times, but even we never got into stuff like this." They both stood there, uncomfortable as they waited for their contacts to meet with them. A woman approached wearing leather and carrying a whip. She gave the pair an appraising look as she ran the handle of her whip around their shoulders.

"You two look a bit uncomfortable to be in here. Are you merely curious, or are you branching out your sexual repertoire?" She circled Booth once again and smiled at him seductively.

"We're just here to meet someone, that's all."

"Oh? And who is it you're here to meet? Is it someone dark and mysterious like you? You I think would be an interesting challenge. I can see you like to be in charge, but you don't like to dominate women. No, you want an equal. It would be so much fun to see you in a submissive role." Booth looked at the woman and appraised her for a moment. Her thick blonde hair was pulled back severely into a ponytail, while her leather outfit clung to her numerous curves. There was just something about her that set his senses into overdrive. This woman was not what she seemed. He smiled at her and leaned in closer.

"You been doing this for a while, the whole dominatrix thing?"

"I've participated in fantasies for about ten years now."

"Have you ever been asked to do anything that's made you uncomfortable?" She smirked as she looked back at the agent.

"Nothing makes me uncomfortable when it comes to sex, but were I to feel that a situation was going too far, I would use a safe word and the action would be terminated. Why, did you have something in mind?"

"What if I were to pay you to be in a private film? Would you do it?"

"Would you be participating?"

"No, not me. I just want the video."

"Yeah, and what would you want in that video?" Booth swallowed down the bile rising in his throat at the thought of what he was going to say next.

"I want to see you killed." What happened next occurred so quickly, it floored the federal agent. He found himself flat on the ground with his hands in cuffs behind his back. The woman leaned in close to him as she pulled a badge from her leather bustier.

"You are under arrest for solicitation of murder," she hissed in his ear. Hodgins looked down in horror as another leather clad person came forward and gripped him by the arm before cuffing him.

"You don't understand," Booth said, well aware that attention was being drawn in his direction. "I'm a federal agent." He whispered the last part so that only the woman would hear what he was saying. Too much attention was on them as it was. She paused for a moment and leaned closer to him.

"Where's your badge?" She asked quietly while keeping him restrained.

"Back left pocket," he ground out as she pressed a knee into his back. He wasn't going to fight this. If they were in a BDSM club, he might as well look like a willing participant. The undercover agent reached for his pocket and pulled out the badge to look at it. Once she was convinced of its authenticity, she slipped it back and helped Booth to his feet.

"Why the hell wasn't I informed there was another agent on this case?"

"You weren't informed?" Booth was incredulous. This was his investigation. His team came up with the link tying the porn company to the murder, and now there was another agent here?

"What's going on?" A loud voice boomed through the dark room. Everything seemed to stop as a man in a long leather duster strode through the place toward Booth, Hodgins and the other undercover agents.

"Just a little role play," the woman answered as she took the cuffs off of Booth. Her partner did the same to Hodgins as the mysterious newcomer watched, his face an emotionless mask. "Seems our bodyguard here likes to play a little 'hard ass bad cop'. I thought I'd show him what hard ass could really mean."

"Leave him be." The woman nodded and stepped back from Booth as the man in the duster looked the agent over. "I was told you had a proposition for me. Follow me and I'll hear what it is that you have to say." He walked away, expecting them to follow. Booth glanced once at Hodgins as they both took off after the man. The woman watched as he went and frowned. Whatever it was those two were up to, it wasn't likely to succeed, but that was much closer than she'd been able to get to the people at 'Sex, Lies and Internet'. She glanced at her partner before both of them slipped out of the private BDSM room to wait out the meeting. If Agent Booth was able to put a plan into action then she was determined to be a part of the folks seriously


	16. Chapter 16

"Why did we lose the feed," Cullen asked over the connection. He'd been watching the entire exchange along with the scientists at the Jeffersonian and now found himself staring at nothing but static. After a moment, Angela's face appeared on the screen.

"The room they've gone into for the meeting must have some sort of signal scrambler in it, otherwise we'd still be receiving information."

"Well were you able to match up anyone they've interacted with?"

"No one matched the couple in the videos, however I ran the image of that agent through the FBI database and came up with a Greta Taylor based out of the Los Angeles office. Did you know about this?" Cullen shook his head.

"No, I didn't. As far as I was aware, Booth was the only agent working this case. I'll contact the Director of the Los Angeles office and see what he knows. In the meantime, keep the feed going. I want to know if you can get anything on these people."

"Of course. We'll call you as soon as we know anything." Cullen nodded and ended the feed. A moment of silence followed as all eyes turned to Angela and Brennan. No one spoke until finally Cam smirked.

"So he's tied you up before?" Angela rolled her eyes and relaxed down next to Brennan.

"Yeah, and? We had a varied and entertaining sex life."

"I can attest to that," Cam answered with a grin. "I've seen the tapes."

"Can we not bring up sex tapes please," Brennan said and glanced at her father. He looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Dad, are you okay?"

"I don't know if I'm more disturbed picturing Booth using a sex toy or knowing that he doesn't have to." Angela snickered, and as both Max and Brennan turned to look at her, the laughter increased until she had tears in her eyes. Brennan and Max looked at her, each one feeling awkward in the situation.

"Oh my god, I thought I was going to lose it when he was holding that sex toy, but this is so much better!"

"Angela!"

"What? It's funny because it's Booth. I don't know how he's pulling off this whole thing, but it can't be easy for him at least."

"He does what he has to when he's working a case, you know that." Angela raised an eyebrow at her best friend.

"Yeah, but what exactly will he have to do?"

XxXxX

"My contact informed me Mr. Hodgins that you were interested in a special film." The man sitting before Booth and Hodgins gave them the creeps. He wasn't imposing in either appearance or stature, but something about him was completely intimidating.

"It's Dr. Hodgins actually," the entomologist said, and Booth shot him a look. Jesus, he thought. What is it with these scientists and demanding a title in front of their name? Jack ignored the agent and settled back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I was told that you can offer things that no one else can."

"And who exactly told you that?" The man smiled and leaned forward toward the scientist. Hodgins fidgeted slightly but otherwise showed no sign of intimidation.

"You have your secrets and I have mine. Now, what can you offer me?"

"Now, now Dr. Hodgins. It's not what I can offer you that matters. How much are you willing to offer me for our services?"

"Just name a price and I'll pay it." The man steepled his fingers and rested them against his chin as he contemplated the offer.

"Why should I accept your money when you work with someone investigating my company?" Shit, Booth thought, but didn't say anything. Thankfully his years as a sniper and FBI agent allowed for him to school his features into an expressionless mask. Hodgins however, looked incredibly nervous.

"What?"

"Don't play coy with me Dr. Hodgins. You don't think I'd have you investigated? Everyone knows that the Jeffersonian works with the FBI, and since they suspect the death of Beth Burkshire to be connected to my company, they're watching me."

"Are you saying that the tapes you've made aren't real?" The man smirked. It was the first time Booth spoke during the meeting.

"Are you expecting me to incriminate myself somehow? I work in the porn industry. I make films involving sex in all its variations. You have a particular fetish, then we can make something that will interest you."

"And if we're interested in death?" Hodgins spoke again, gaining the man's attention.

"I'll tell you what. You came all this way for a video, and I'll not deny one to you. However, your money won't be accepted. Someone will contact you when it's ready, and you'll follow their directions."

"But…"

"Consider me to be a philanthropist. I'm interested in why someone who works with the FBI wants a tape from my company that is arranged in private, so I'm willing to arrange that tape free of charge." Both Hodgins and Booth knew the man had them cornered. There was no way they could get him on a contract kill if he wasn't taking a payment. They also had no way to know how much he actually knew about the operation.

"Fine. I'll be expecting your call," Jack said, and he and Booth stood. The man walked with them to the doorway of his private room and watched as they left. Just before the door shut, Booth turned to look at him. The man simply smiled and gave a little wave as they walked away.

Neither Hodgins nor Booth spoke until well out of range of the BDSM club, checking constantly to make sure they weren't followed. Once they were sure they were alone amidst the crowded convention hall, Jack turned to Booth with a frown.

"Well fuck, what are we going to do?"

"You can tell me everything that went down in that room." The two men turned to see Greta standing there, looking much more professional in regular clothing. Her partner stood next to her as they waited for a response. Booth looked the blonde agent over and motioned to the exit of the convention hall.

"Then why don't we talk over a piece of pie?" He offered her a smile before the four of them headed out to discuss what these new developments could mean.

XxXxX

Charlie looked over the records of everyone on the hotel staff, trying to find someone who stood out to him. He wasn't nearly as good at this as Booth was, but at least he had a good teacher. It was a shame the agent liked being out in the field so much, the junior agent mused as he sorted the records into piles. He'd make a great instructor at the academy.

Most of the records were clean, or had minor infractions like parking tickets, but a couple of them stood out from the rest. One man, a Stewart Thompson had been arrested once at an illegal poker game, but otherwise looked clean; the other however seemed a much more likely candidate. Miriam Lewis had financial troubles dating back almost a year. Just before the incident at the hotel, her bills were miraculously paid in full. Charlie smiled and looked at the clock. It was too late to pay Miriam a visit tonight, but he could speak with her first thing in the morning. He set her file in a drawer and straightened up his desk before leaving for the night. He just needed to stop by Cullen's office to inform him of the find and then he could head home.

XxXxX

"Okay, you have your pie, now spill." Greta sat across from Booth and Hodgins as the special agent dug into a slice of apple pie. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment and shook his head as he swallowed the bite.

"Nope, you first. What were you doing inside that club and how long have you been undercover?" Greta snorted and shook her head, her thick blonde hair sweeping over her shoulders.

"I don't think so. I asked you first."

"And it's rude to talk while you eat, so since I'm enjoying a piece of delicious pie, you can tell me what you know, and then when I'm done, I'll share what I know." He flashed her a smile and put another piece of the pie into his mouth. Hodgins grinned at the mutinous look on the female agent's face.

"Fine. I'll play by your rules. I've been tracking 'Sex, Lies, and Internet' for about three years now, but have only been able to get close to Kevin Jenkins recently."

"Who?" Booth and Hodgins looked at her curiously to which she sighed and crossed her arms.

"The man you met with? He owns the company, but after their apparent end a few years ago they've been operating illegally. I'm trying to pin them on tax evasion because I can't seem to find anything incriminating about them that will stick."

"Wait," Booth said, "you've been on the case for three years? Jesus, why the hell wasn't I given that information when I started looking into them?"

"I wasn't informed that anyone else was investigating them." Booth wiped a hand down his face, forgetting he had on the prosthetics until the pull of the glue reminded him.

"I've been on and off of the case for not that long really. This bastard illegally put out a sex tape of me and my wife that was filmed the same weekend that Beth Burkshire was murdered."

"The porn star?" Booth gave her an odd look. "Hey, look what I've been surrounded by. I have to know my porn, and trust me the stuff Kevin's company puts out is no walk in the park."

"So I've seen. All I know is that he's connected with the people who murdered Beth, and I need to find out who they are."

"Look, you're not going to find out who they are. For as long as I've been tracking this guy, I've come up with squat. What makes you think you can figure it out?"

"Because I know what they're looking for."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"Blondes."

XxXxX

"You don't think that Booth will need to compromise himself with Agent Taylor, do you?" Brennan stared out the window of the car as her father drove them home for the evening. He glanced at her quickly before turning his attention back to the road.

"Come on honey, this is Booth we're talking about. If the man can't handle the idea of using a device to get himself off, then do you really think that he'd compromise his morals like that?"

"Well no, but what if the case demands more intimate contact with her?"

"Then I'm sure that Booth would allow the bug guy a more active role in the assignment. You know you can trust him."

"I know, it's just…" Temperance shrugged and looked at her father. He smiled at her and patted her knee.

"You're worried and you're pregnant. Things always look worse under the influence of hormones." Max turned up the long drive to the house and frowned as the sensor didn't trigger the outside lights to turn on. Brennan noticed the frown on her father's face and followed it with one of her own.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"Maybe nothing. I might have just wired the lights wrong is all." He pulled into the garage around the back of the house and helped Brennan out of her seat.

"Since when have you ever done something wrong that you didn't intend to do?" Brennan followed her father cautiously toward the main house. A chill ran up her spine as they reached the door to the house and found it unlocked. The irrational thought that maybe they'd simply forgotten to lock the door passed over Temperance, but she immediately dismissed it. She never forgot to lock the door, and if she had, her father would have caught it.

"Tempe, you stay right here until I come back. I'm going to check the place out."

"Dad, I can handle myself."

"I know, but you're pregnant and need to think about that little one." He gave her a strained smile and entered into the dark house. Brennan blew out a breath as she ran her hands over her suddenly chilled arms. Her thoughts went back to the other times she'd found intrusions to her home. One was the giant pool of blood left behind by her father when he'd killed Deputy Director Kirby, and the other was when Howard Epps escaped from prison and came after her and her team. She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard a strangled yelp followed by a crash.

"Dad," she screamed and ran into the pitch black of the Victorian house.


	17. Chapter 17

_AN: So okay, I realize that it's been like a month since I last updated, but all I can say is that it's been a hectic month, and this story has kind of a mind of its own so I got backed into a corner. Things should go much quicker now, but even though this update is short, it's an update, right? I'll try to get things going on Six Stages as well as the stuff I write under the penname upncomer. Anyway, enough of the rambling. Let me know what you think._

"Dad, dad are you okay?" Brennan looked around the room frantically, trying to see where her father was, if he was okay. She heard a groan just ahead of her and raced forward to help him up. "What happened?"

"Didn't mean to scare you honey. I didn't see that end table and caught my leg on it."

"I thought someone attacked you! Don't do that again. Why didn't you just turn on the light?"

"I tried but the power's out. You shouldn't stay here tonight honey. There's something going on and I don't like it."

"I tend to agree with you on that. Help me get a bag together and we'll stay at a hotel overnight. Call Deputy Director Cullen and come back in the morning to see if anyone's been here."

"We can't just call in the Deputy Director of the FBI to send a forensics team because you suspect something might be wrong."

"Then what do you suggest dad? I don't want you to come back alone." Max smiled and pat Brennan on the arm.

"Thanks for the concern honey, but you don't get to be my age as a con man without having some wiles. Only one person's been able to get the drop on me in all that time."

"Who, McVicar?" Max smiled and shook his head.

"You. Now let's get you packed up and we'll figure out what to do in the morning once we get to a hotel. What do you say?"

"Sure dad, I think we can do that."

"Good, now let me take the lead upstairs. I know you can protect yourself but you are in a delicate condition and I don't want you overexerting yourself."

"Try telling that to women in Africa."

"Well it's a good thing we don't live in Africa then, isn't it?" Max led Brennan carefully over to the staircase and took her hand as they made their way up to the second floor. "The way I see it, a woman deserves to be pampered when she's expecting regardless of where she's from."

"That seems so sexist though. I mean pregnancy is a natural process for the female body and that doesn't make someone any more or less able to function in society."

"And you're supposed to be in bed resting and yet here I am carting you around despite my better judgment. Booth's going to be furious with me when he finds out about this."

"I'm trying to follow my doctor's instructions but I find them a bit restrictive."

"And they're restrictive for a reason Tempe. You want that baby to be healthy don't you? I mean, you didn't even think you'd be able to have one in the first place." Brennan frowned.

"You didn't have to bring that up you know."

"I'm just saying that maybe you should see it as more the miracle that it is than a temporary condition."

"I don't believe in miracles." As they reached the door to Brennan's bedroom, Max turned to her and smiled.

"When you hold that baby in your arms for the first time, you'll believe in them, trust me."

XxXxX

"Seriously, those people are sick," Booth said as he and Hodgins finally made it back to their suite. "I mean furries? There's just something so wrong about it."

"Dude, don't knock it until you've tried it."

"Please tell me that you've never done anything like that."

"Have sex in a furry suit? No. That's even a bit out there for me. I'm just saying that you should open up yourself to more possibilities that's all. Like, have you ever had a threesome?" Booth ripped off the glasses and turned off the feed to the Jeffersonian. He turned to Hodgins as he started to pull off the prosthetics on his face.

"No, and I don't plan on it either. I'm sorry but it's just wrong to cheat."

"Dude, it's not cheating when it's consensual with all parties, and why are you so against it?"

"You aren't trying to talk me into having one involving you and someone else are you because that's wrong, and I will shoot you."

"Uh no, that's just an image I don't want going through my head, and anyway more than one guy involved is a bit too much sausage on one plate if you know what I mean." Hodgins made his way over to the dining table where the laptop was situated and turned it on. "Dude you've got some e-mail here."

"Look, it's not like I haven't fantasized about it before. I'm a guy, of course I've thought about it, but I don't care if it's consensual or not. If you have to involve someone else in your sex life then there's something missing from it to begin with."

"Come on, do you honestly believe that?" Booth sat as Hodgins moved out of the way, and clicked open the message. He wasn't sure who it was from; it certainly wasn't an address he recognized, but since this was his work mail, it had to be important.

"Yeah I do. I don't need to pretend to be someone or something I'm not to have a connection with Bones. It's just us, you know? I mean, it was that way with you and Angela wasn't it?"

"I…" He paused before finishing that sentence. He and Angela had been so wrapped up in the physical toward the end that they lost some of the emotional. Even though they were working to get her the divorce, there had been something missing in their relationship.

"Oh Jesus," Booth said as he looked at the image on his screen.

"Dude, what's going on?" Hodgins looked in over Booth's shoulder and cursed under his breath. On the screen Temperance and her father packed a suitcase from inside of the master suite of the house. Booth pulled out his cell phone and immediately dialed his wife. He and Hodgins watched in a kind of horrified fascination as the Brennan on the screen pulled out her cell phone to answer it.

"Brennan."

"Bones, get the hell out of the house and stay away until I say it's okay."

"What? What's going on?"

"Someone's put cameras in the house. Get out of there. I won't give those bastards the satisfaction of hurting us anymore than they already have." Brennan turned around and squinted in the darkness to a corner of the room. To Booth, it was as if she were looking right at him.

"We were on our way out. Booth, I don't like this."

"Neither do I. I'm calling my boss and telling him what's going on. He'll send someone over to do a sweep, but until I give the go ahead you are not going to be there, do you understand? I will not take an argument on this."

"You won't get one out of me."

"Good. I should be home soon and then we'll deal with this together."

"Okay. I'll see you then. I love you."

"I love you too." They ended the call as Booth immediately dialed his boss. If these bastards thought that they could play games with him, then they were mistaken.

XxXxX

"Cullen." Sam Cullen rubbed at his eyes before glancing at his clock. It had been a long time since he'd stayed at work this long. His wife was probably wondering what was keeping him so late.

"Sir, I need Geier and his team sent to my house immediately." Cullen immediately sat up straight in his seat.

"Has something happened to Dr. Brennan?"

"Not exactly. I just received an e-mail that I need tracked. It contained a link to cameras set up inside my house."

"You're telling me that whoever killed that porn star is playing games with you?"

"They've been playing games with me ever since they posted that tape on the internet. I want to get these bastards."

"I'll send Geier immediately. Charlie has a possible lead on the case. I want you to get with that agent in Las Vegas, agent Taylor and share information. The more we know about these guys the better."

"Sir, if there's any way for me to send that information with her, or if she can come out here…"

"Booth, I get that you want to be here with your wife, but I assure you she'll be well taken care of. I highly doubt anyone could get past that father of hers."

"Look, concerning Max… if there's anyway he can be included in this investigation…"

"He already is."

"What?"

"Never mind. Share what information you have, come up with a plan and we'll do what we can on this end. We'll get them Booth, I promise."


	18. Chapter 18

"Do you realize that in the three and a half months that I've been married, I've spent approximately two weeks with Booth," Temperance asked her father as she sat on her bed the next morning. She looked glum as she absently rubbed a hand over the rounded curve of her abdomen. Max watched the repetitive motion for a moment, smiling because it reminded him of using a worry stone.

"Well, everything will be figured out in short order and all of that will change." Max sat down next to his daughter and patted her on the leg. "I called Russ while you were in the shower and he said that you can stay with them for a while if needed until all of this passes."

"Absolutely not. I'm not going to involve him in this circus anymore than he already is. It's not fair that my life and family are being scrutinized just because someone thinks that I'd make a good news story. I don't like feeling like I'm in a bread bowl."

"I think you mean a fishbowl sweetheart." Max rubbed his hands together and leaned over to pick up the phone. "Now, do you want breakfast now or in a little while?"

"We don't need room service dad. I'm sure we could go downstairs…"

"No. We've disregarded your doctor's orders enough the last couple of days, and I'm going to make sure that you…" He paused as a knock sounded at the door to the room. "Huh, I wonder who that could be." Max made his way over to the door and checked the peep hole, smiling as he swung open the door.

"Sweetie, I figured you wouldn't like being cooped up by yourself, so I talked Cam into letting me come keep you company while we go over these videos again. I think I might need another pair of eyes in case there's something I missed."

"Hello to you too Angela," Brennan said as her best friend bustled inside the hotel room, her arms laden with bags of food and a laptop bag. Max took the food from her and set it up at the table inside of the room. As he set up, Angela pulled out her laptop, plopping it down on the bed next to Brennan before taking a seat herself.

"I just feel like we're missing something important, but I'm not sure what it is. We should have seen something familiar at that convention, but…" she shrugged.

"Were we able to get any of the feed from the meeting yesterday?"

"Nothing. I tried to run a couple of different algorithms to see if that helped but nada."

"Why don't we just call Booth and ask him what was said then," Max suggested as he handed plates to each of the women. "Whatever was said could be a clue as to who we're looking for. Maybe if we all just talk facts then we can figure out something that's been overlooked."

"But what could we have possibly overlooked?"

XxXxX

Agent Charlie Burns collected the papers regarding his leads on Agent Booth's case, looking over the address and directions to the house he was heading out to visit. If he was lucky, the woman would have the answers he was looking for. Satisfied that he knew where he was going, Charlie got up from his desk to head out to Richmond.

"Charlie, where do you think you're going? Have you finished with that paperwork I gave you?" Charlie turned to face SAC Santana.

"Director Cullen asked me to conduct some interviews on an investigation he's working. I'm heading out to interview a lead."

"What investigation would that be? The Deputy Director of the FBI rarely gets involved in cases." Charlie snorted a little bit.

"He does when it involves Agent Booth. I'll get to that paperwork when I get back, but I really need to take care of this interview." Santana nodded and leaned against Charlie's desk a little bit.

"Why don't you just call down the lead and interview them here?"

"I suppose I could but if this killer is able to monitor Booth so closely I just think it's better to go to them as opposed to calling them here." Charlie shrugged and after a moment, Santana nodded.

"Okay, then I expect that paperwork on my desk before you leave for the evening, is that understood?"

"Yes sir," Charlie said and left, all of the paperwork in hand. Santana watched him until he stepped onto the elevators and turned to find himself face to face with the Deputy Director of the FBI.

"Director Cullen, I didn't see you there."

"Give that paperwork to another agent, Santana. Agent Burns is working exclusively on this case until we get an arrest."

"Of course sir. If you don't mind me asking, why wasn't I informed that the case had been moved to you?"

"Your incompetence in handling it forced me to take action. You put Agent Booth on suspension without a justifiable reason, you handed the case over to a green agent and in the process, procedural steps were missed. Why, if that's how you've been handling this investigation would I inform you that I was taking it over?" Santana opened and closed his mouth to respond, but was unable to come up with a valid response. "Now, if that's all, I have some business to attend to and will be out for the majority of the day."

"Yes sir." Cullen walked past the stunned agent, heading to the elevator as Charlie had a few minutes earlier. He had to speak with Geier at Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan's house before speaking to the doctor and her father. Something about the whole situation bothered him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Hopefully with more people mulling over the details, they could solve it faster.

XxXxX

Agent Greta Taylor looked up from her temporary desk at the Las Vegas field office at the two men standing in the doorway. She smiled and motioned for them to have seats across from her.

"Dr. Hodgins, Agent Booth, please have a seat. I have to say Agent Booth, you look much better without the blond hair."

"Thanks. It's nice to be myself again." Hodgins pulled out his laptop and set it up on Greta's desk. "I hope you don't mind if we record this session. I need to link up with my team in Washington."

"No, please. I'm guessing you're here for information on my case."

"Yes. I think what we both have might be beneficial in catching these guys red handed." The computer beeped, indicating a link. After a second, Angela, Brennan and Max's face appeared on the screen.

"Okay Booth, we're all here," Brennan said as she sat in wait for the information.

"Where's Sweets?"

"If we felt that he was necessary at this point we would have asked him to join us. I don't however think he'll be beneficial to the investigation."

"If you say so. Agent Taylor, this is Dr. Temperance Brennan, her father Max Keenan, and Angela Montenegro of the Jeffersonian Institute. They're assisting in the investigation." Greta nodded and glanced down at her paperwork.

"Okay, so I've been investigating Kevin Jenkins and his company for quite a while. They've been linked to child pornography, but no one's ever been able to get close enough to him to accuse him or find a definite link. I've had people under me looking for definitive proof, but I keep getting stonewalled from higher up the food chain."

"Is that why you're undercover as a dominatrix?" Greta looked at Brennan and gave a wry smile. She could see that the woman didn't seem to hold her in high esteem.

"Yes Dr. Brennan. I'm not sure if you've ever done any undercover work, but it does tend to be the most effective way to infiltrate this particular group of people."

"Do you engage in that sort of activity in your off time, or is it strictly for this case?"

"I don't really think that's any of your business. All you need to know is that I'm good at my job and get the answers I'm looking for."

"But not in this case, correct?"

"Bones, stop it with the interrogation. We're here to share information, not play twenty questions with the other investigators." Temperance huffed and crossed her arms, earning snorts from her father and Angela.

"I'm surprised you were having so much trouble finding any proof of the child pornography in connection with 'Sex, Lies and Internet'. I was able to find all kinds of nastiness on them. That's actually how we connected them to the murder of several young women." Greta looked at Angela and then turned from the monitor to look at Booth.

"What do you mean they're connected with murders?" Booth pointed back to the screen as the faces of Angela, Brennan and Max disappeared and the image from Rebecca's murder replaced it. Greta watched in horror as image after image showed on the screen.

"This video shows the actual rape and murder of Rebecca Teasdale, a British Exchange student killed out in California," Angela's voice sounded as the video continued to play. "Booth was sent out to investigate, but we didn't discover this video until recently." Greta looked away from the images and shut her eyes. It was completely disgusting what humans could do to one another.

"How did you find this video? Why didn't the FBI look into the videos?"

"I work with the Jeffersonian Institute's forensic team on most of my cases," Booth said as the video ended and Brennan, Angela and Max returned to the screen. "I tend to find that they can get things done much more efficiently, so I just go to them, and send all of my evidence to them. I don't have to clear it with my superior so it clears up a lot of red tape."

"Well you're lucky then, because I've hit nothing but brick walls with my investigation. It's almost like someone's blocking my progress from the inside."

"Booth, what did you discuss in that meeting yesterday?" All eyes went to Max, who'd been quiet up until that time.

"The owner of the company, Kevin Jenkins said he'd make a tape for us, but wouldn't take any money from us because he knew we were connected to the FBI."

"Why would he know that?"

"Because I'm assuming he had our names when the meeting was set up."

"I would never give names out. What kind of ex-criminal would I be if I put people in danger like that? The only thing I gave my contact was a description of who his people would be meeting." Booth looked at Max, surprised.

"Well then who would have given him the names?" With a shrug, Max got up and answered the door as someone pounded on it. As it swung open, Deputy Director Cullen stepped inside. Booth watched over the connection and frowned. Wasn't Cullen the only person to be involved with the case the entire time? No, it couldn't be him, could it?


	19. Chapter 19

_AN: Okay guys, we're heading into the end here. I don't foresee this going past another three or four chapters. Just a note here though. Our band of investigators needs to get information without using FBI resources, so I'm making a stretch here. Please allow your suspension of disbelief to continue if you don't find this entirely plausible. As always, let me know what you think._

"Director Cullen, it's nice to see you here. What's brought you out her to the hotel," Max asked as he shut the hotel room door. Cullen looked around the room before finally settling his gaze on the computer link up with Booth.

"Booth called last night about what happened. I wanted to make sure that everything was okay. I also wanted to let you know that I have Agent Burns following up on a lead right now." He shook his head when Brennan offered him a seat and remained standing. He could see that Booth had a wary expression on his face as he watched his boss in the room. It absolutely couldn't be Cullen that was the rat. He knew him too well, and they'd been pretty close ever since they solved the case regarding his daughter's tainted graft.

"Who else knows about this case sir?"

"Currently only Agent Burns and I are working on the case. I have a feeling that someone on the inside is in on this and I'm trying to keep as few people as possible involved. SAC Santana does know however that I've personally taken charge of the case. I don't think he was too happy with it."

"SAC Santana you said?" Attention turned back to Greta Taylor as she spoke for the first time since Cullen's arrival.

"Yes, he's my direct superior in DC. Why, is the name familiar?"

"Other than as a musician, not really. My former boss mentioned the name before though, but it's been a while since I heard it. She transferred out a while ago."

"Where did she transfer out to?"

"I'm not really sure. I didn't like her much, she always seemed rather inept to me. I was just glad to see her go. She's part of the reason I've had such a difficult time finding anything on that porn company."

"Okay," Angela said amidst the rising environment of frustration in the room. "So let's look at this from our end only. If we can connect it to your case work Greta, then we will. For now though, let's concentrate on our case load and see where the information takes us." She dropped the image of Booth, Hodgins and Greta, bringing up a word document to bullet point the information. "Almost ten months ago, Rebecca Teasdale's remains were discovered in a sea cave in La Jolla. When she was found, she'd been dead for ten days. After investigating the case, the murderers were never caught. It was only recently that we found the tape."

"That's the girl in the video you showed me, right," Greta asked as Angela typed in the information. "So whoever was in that video was in La Jolla ten days prior to your arrival there. Assuming that we are looking at someone on the inside, was anyone from your Bureau on vacation during that time period?"

"I'll have Agent Burns look into that when he gets back to the office," Cullen responded to the question. He had a sneaking suspicion as to who the guilty party was, but just needed to make sure that the dates lined up correctly.

"We also have video of at least three other girls being murdered. All fit the same description, and all were raped and murdered on tape. These murders all happened on the Atlantic coast. The case in California really shouldn't match up, except that we know the murderer was out there."

"How doesn't the murder fit?"

"The other girls were all stabbed multiple times, the main concentration of wounds were to the abdomen. We think that Rebecca wasn't meant to be killed, but that the murderers did it on a whim."

"Sir, who was it that had me pulled off of Rebecca's case initially?" Cullen didn't respond for a moment as he thought back to the case and all of the dramatics that ensued because of it.

"The call actually came through the State Department. Ambassador Haddad asked for security while at the peace conferences, and once it was determined that you'd had past dealings with her, Santana pulled you from the case."

"So it was Santana then?"

"Yes." The dawning realization hit everyone at the same time. Angela pulled up one of the videos and began playing it. It was the first time that Cullen had seen the tapes, and was disgusted as he watched the rape and murder take place on the screen. He could hear the voices of the murderers, but the faces were too indistinct. "There's no way we can pin this on Santana. We don't even have any proof to connect him to any of these crimes, and until there's something to connect him to it, I can't bring him in on an interrogation."

"Do you have any past footage of him interrogating a suspect? I can use it to determine a voice and facial recognition match," Angela said to Cullen.

"I'll have that information looked up for you, but if this is internal, then it could tip off whoever is behind these murders whether or not it's Santana. Is there someone on the outside that you think could be trusted to get this information?" Brennan sighed and gave a slight nod as Cullen turned to her.

"I think I know someone."

"Good. You get hold of them and have the searches taken care of."

"There's just one other thing we need to know," Greta said as she looked over the bulleted information.

"Yeah, and what's that," Hodgins wondered. Greta glanced from him to Booth.

"Who was the case handed to in San Diego?"

XxXxX

Agent Charlie Burns stood outside the home of Miriam Lewis, waiting for her to answer his knock. He looked around the rundown neighborhood with a shake of his head. The whole place just looked tired, as if it were too exhausted to make itself look good. Grass was overgrown in most yards, paint was peeling off the houses and several of them had 'for sale' signs up in the yard. It's a pity, he thought as he looked around. All those people struggling for what little they have and can't even afford to keep their homes.

His attention returned to the door in front of him as it swung open to reveal a woman who looked just as tired as the house she lived in. She did however offer him a warm smile in greeting.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Are you Miriam Lewis?"

"I am." Charlie pulled out his badge to show the woman and noted the brief flash of panic that set over her features before they were schooled back into a much more pleasant expression.

"I'm Agent Burns with the FBI. I have a few questions to ask you in regards to an investigation. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Oh, um, sure." Miriam stepped aside to let in the agent, leading him to her living room. "What can I do for you?" She sat down in a worn, overstuffed chair as Charlie sat down across from her.

"I have a few questions regarding some recent activity in your bank account." He glanced at Miriam and noticed that she was gripping the arms of the chair. "According to our records, you have some inconsistencies. You were on the edge of having to go through foreclosure, and yet now everything seems to be taken care of. If you don't mind me asking, where did that money come from."

"My um…" She looked away from him. "I got the money from my uncle. He just died not too long ago."

"I'll need his name so I can get a copy of his will." The panicked expression returned to her face and she gripped the arms of the chair even harder. Charlie pulled out a pad of paper and pen to wait for her answer. As he continued to look at her with patience, she cracked and began to sob.

"I can't tell you anything. I'll lose everything I have if I do." Charlie sighed and leaned forward, his eyes compassionate as he looked at the distraught woman.

"Miss Lewis, I'm here to help solve a murder. What you tell me can help me do that. I don't report to your boss, and I can make sure that you don't get in trouble for anything you might have done to get that money. Can you help me catch a murderer?"

"No one said anything about murder to me, I swear. I was just asked to let them into the hotel rooms. I don't even know what they were doing in there. Oh god, is someone dead because of me?"

"Hey, no one is dead because of something you did. I just need to know who it was that paid off these bills for you, okay? That's all I need to know."

"I didn't get a full name, not that I should have agreed in the first place, but if I lose my house, I've got nowhere to go. I was desperate, and she came to me, telling me that if I just let her into the hotel rooms, she could make my bills disappear."

"Who said that Miss Lewis?"

"I don't remember her name. It was one of those trendy names… Brittney or Tiffany, something like that." As she dabbed at her eyes, Charlie let out a breath and leaned back in his seat.

"Was it Chelsea?"

XxXxX

Noor Haddad glanced up from the document she was reading as her assistant stuck his head into the doorway of her office. She folded her hands on her desk and waited for the reason he was interrupting her.

"Ambassador, you have a call on line two. I tried to inform her that you were busy, but she said that you owe her a favor. She was quite insistent that she get through to you immediately."

"Who is it on the line?"

"Dr. Temperance Brennan." Noor's eyebrows shot up as she picked up the phone line. If Dr. Brennan was calling her, then it had to be serious.

"Dr. Brennan, this is a surprise," she said and leaned forward in anticipation. She couldn't imagine why the anthropologist would be contacting her. After the way she'd treated the woman, it wouldn't surprise her if Temperance absolutely hated her. "What can I do for you?"

"Booth and I are currently involved on a case and need your assistance."

"I can't imagine what you would need my help for. Anything I could do I'm sure could be accomplished by the FBI."

"Yes, that's true, but there's a possibility that someone in the FBI is trying to obfuscate their role in several murders."

"You've got me intrigued. What do you need assistance with?"

"I need to know everything you can find out about SAC Miguel Santana, including any video or audio footage you might be able to procure."

"You're worried that if the FBI looks into this information directly that he will become aware of the investigation and tamper with evidence?"

"Yes."

"I'll have my people pull up what they can and get the information to you at the earliest possible convenience."

"Thank you Ambassador Haddad."

"No Dr. Brennan, thank you. You didn't need to save my life the way you did. I'm in your debt. If this one small thing can assist you, then it is worth it. I'll be in touch." As the call ended, Noor called her assistant back into the room. "Amir, could you please call in the head of security? I have a job for him to do."

"Of course Ambassador."

"And can you also make me arrangements in Washington DC? I'll need to be there by the end of the week. I have some business to attend to." Amir nodded and headed out of the office. Noor leaned back in her seat and steepled her fingers together as she gathered her thoughts. She'd made a threat about going above the heads of the FBI directors if anything happened to Seeley Booth, and she planned to live up to that threat. If he was in any kind of trouble in regards to why Dr. Brennan needed this information, then she needed to be there to pay back the debt to both of them.


	20. Chapter 20

"Geier did a sweep of your home and found what we believe are all of the cameras," Cullen said as he got off of the phone with the crime scene unit. "Assuming that Santana is behind this mess, he'd know what to do to cover up his tracks. I can have an agent posted outside of your home if you'd like until this investigation is over."

"Thank you for the offer sir, but I think my father can provide enough protection and it won't lead to any suspicions." Cullen gave a small nod and stood. He needed to get a hold of Charlie and see what he uncovered from his end. Max walked the Deputy Director to the door and before Cullen left, he turned around to speak directly to Temperance.

"Dr. Brennan, I'll make sure that Booth is here on the first available flight. I'm sure that Agent Taylor can handle things on her end. Your husband needs to be here when everything is uncovered."

"Thank you."

"No need for that, really. You've been through entirely too much, and a lot of that is my fault for not recognizing that there were other forces at play here. Once everything is over and arrests are made, I'll be speaking with the review board for a commendation. I have a feeling that Santana's position will be opening up quite soon." Brennan smiled at Sam.

"I appreciate the confidence you're showing in Booth, but I don't know if he'd be interested in the position."

"Well regardless, he's getting an offer. Now, you get your things together and get home. I'll keep you informed of anything that we find out." The older man left and Max closed the door behind him. He glanced at his daughter as she sank down into her seat. Regardless of the fact that she'd gotten sleep the night before, she just looked exhausted.

"Are you okay honey?"

"I want all of this to be over. I want Booth home. I want the press to leave all of us alone, and I want Santana to pay for releasing that sex tape to the media. I want my life back." From her position next to Brennan, Angela wrapped her arms around her best friend. She'd never seemed so defeated, ever.

"Bren, everything will turn out okay. Look at it this way. You'll have Booth home probably this evening and you can do unspeakable things to him."

"Angela, please. I don't need to think about my daughter and Booth sleeping together," Max said as he began to pack their bags. Cullen might have said that the house was clear of cameras, but he'd do his own sweep when they got there. He'd set up the security system on the place, so there was no way that anything would skip his attention.

"Well suit yourself Max, but I think it's kind of hot."

"I'm sure you do." Brennan pulled away from Angela and frowned for a moment.

"How far back does the Jeffersonian keep their security tapes?"

"I'm not sure; we'd have to ask the security team, why?"

"When was the last time that Santana was at the Jeffersonian?"

"Has he ever been there? I know Cullen made his way a few times, but I don't think I've ever seen Santana there."

"Damn. I was hoping he'd been there. I thought he was…" She snapped her fingers and pointed at Angela. "He was there! Santana came to the Jeffersonian with Booth when Nestor Olivos was found hanging from a tree."

"Bren, that was like four years ago. I really doubt that we have analogues dating back that far. Why do you need them anyway?"

"Assuming that the Jeffersonian still has the tapes, then we can run his image through your mass recognition program…"

"And see if it matches. Sweetie, you're brilliant! Maybe we won't have to get Noor involved after all."

"She'd have to be involved regardless. Someone had to have pulled Booth off of Rebecca's case and I'm pretty sure it was Santana."

"Okay, I'll head back to the Jeffersonian and you go home and rest. If he's a match to the tapes, then I'll give Cullen a call." Angela gave her friend one more hug before springing off of the couch and gathering her belongings. "We'll get this bastard, I just know it."

XxXxX

Temperance shifted in bed, waking from a light slumber as she felt a hand slide across her shoulder. She mumbled a little and rolled over to find a more comfortable position. Her stomach was beginning to get in the way, and since she was a stomach sleeper to begin with, it made getting comfortable that much more difficult. Once she rearranged herself, she felt something brush her cheek before stopping. With a frown, she opened her eyes.

She let out a shriek when she came face to face with a pair of eyes staring at her, unable to determine the color in the darkness of the room. The person to whom the eyes belonged jerked back in surprise before falling off the edge of the bed.

"Jesus Bones, what the hell was that?" Booth pulled himself off the floor with a wince.

"Booth," she breathed and sat up just as her father came running into the room with a baseball bat. He slid to a stop as he looked from Booth to Brennan.

"What the hell's going on here?"

"Apparently your daughter thought it would be amusing to scare the shit out of me."

"What was I supposed to think when I wake up and find someone staring at me? Excuse me if I'm just a bit preoccupied with the fact that we just had cameras removed that were put in place for the sole benefit of spying on us."

"And you didn't for a moment think that it might be me considering you knew I was going to be home tonight?"

"You woke me up staring at me. It's kind of creepy."

"Kind of…I wasn't staring at you; I was trying to wake you up." Max continued looking back and forth from one to the other and shook his head before turning to leave the room. Obviously his services weren't needed here.

"Then why didn't you just bellow at me like you usually do? That generally does the trick."

"I don't bellow."

"Yes, you do. Especially when you come to the lab." Temperance hopped off the bed to imitate Booth's usual entrance to the lab. "Bones, we've got a case! Get away from those really important bronze age remains. Murder is just a little more important than someone who's been dead for three thousand years."

"Yeah well at least I don't have to go around spouting off facts to prove that I'm superior to everyone else around me."

"I am generally superior to the people around me." The two glared at each other from their positions in the room. Booth wasn't sure exactly how they got into the argument, but he was sure of one thing. His wife was hot when she was angry. Temperance didn't even see him move before his lips were on hers and she was in his arms.

She gripped the lapels of his jean jacket as he slipped his hands down onto her hips, pulling her closer to him. She jerked back his jacket, trying to pull it off of him, even as she spun to push him onto the bed. He fell back with a whump, fighting the sleeves of his jacket.

Brennan smiled wickedly, pulling off her shirt and straddling Booth. He stopped struggling for a moment as he looked at her. Temperance reached forward and tugged his jacket, catching his arms in the process. His eyes went wide as he looked at her and tried to escape from his clothing prison.

"Bones, come on…"

"No. You need to be punished for scaring me awake." Booth raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Yeah? What are you going to do, make me watch?" Brennan's grin widened.

"You are good Booth."

"If that's the case, then go look in my bag, I've got a present for you." Temperance raised one eyebrow, but did as she was told. She walked over to his bag and dug through it until she found what he was talking about. She picked up the item and walked back to the bed, waving the sparkly pink vibrator in her hand.

"I thought you didn't want to buy one of these things."

"Not for me to use I don't. I have you or if you're not there…"

"Sounds like you two got things… oh Jesus." Max stopped in the doorway and turned back around. He didn't want to know what the pair were planning to do with that sex toy, and decided that he'd need to be in the room furthest from the pair if they were planning to use it now. Booth and Brennan looked at each other and laughed. The FBI agent struggled a bit and finally got his arms free of the jacket. He pulled Brennan down onto the bed next to him and looked at her.

"I think maybe we should wait until tomorrow for you to punish me."

"Fine, but we won't be able to use this for a while. Dr. Tarlow gave me some information sheets and it's not a good idea to use toys while pregnant because the vibrations can cause problems with the placenta separating."

"See, that just goes to show that nothing's better than the real thing." He tucked her into his side and placed a kiss on her lips.

"I might not have agreed to that in the past, but after everything we've done, I'd have to say I find that statement to be true." Booth grinned as he looked at his wife.

"I love it when you agree with me. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, you blow me away."

"Then I'll try to blow you away more often."

"Yeah? You think you could do that now?" Brennan rolled her eyes.

"Booth…"

"I sure as hell wasn't going to use the 'Eve's Ruby Delight' for that when you're so much better at it."

"Huh, I guess flattery can get you everything," Brennan said as she pushed away from him and reached for his belt buckle. Oh yeah, Booth thought as he watched her undo the clasp. Life is good.

XxXxX

Angela sat in the security office of the Jeffersonian, waiting for the security manager to get back to her. Her foot tapped incessantly on the floor, her excitement barely contained. They still had tapes dating back that far. After looking up the file on Nestor Olivas, she'd gone to security to see if they had analogue tapes from that period of time. She'd been in luck, and now was just waiting for the tapes to be brought.

"Well Miss Montenegro, this is what we have from that time period. Are you sure you don't need help analyzing the tapes? There's a lot of footage to go over."

"No, it's fine Tom. I have a program to do most of the work for me. Thanks for the offer though." Angela took the box of tapes from the security manager and left the office. Now she just had to hook up her computer to the tape player and program in the algorithms to analyze the data and it would take care of everything for her.

When she reached her office, she began to set everything up. It was late, and she was alone at the institute but wanted to get this taken care of as soon as possible. The sooner she could id Santana, the sooner he could get arrested for his crimes. Once the computer was ready to run, she began the tapes and took a seat on her couch. Now was the part she hated. Waiting.

A sound echoed through the lab, startling Angela. She turned but only saw a security guard walking through the empty halls. God, this whole thing has me jumpy, she thought as she leaned back on the couch cushions. FBI conspiracies, bungled evidence handling, it was like a bad movie. That was the last thought she had before a cloth was held over her mouth and nose. She tried to struggle, but whoever had her was too strong, and whatever was soaked into that cloth rendered her unconscious.


	21. Chapter 21

"Morning Booth," Max said as the FBI agent came into the kitchen. Booth only nodded at his father in law as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "You look like hell. I would have thought you'd have got a lot of sleep last night, but then again…"

"Bones did maybe, but I couldn't get any sleep. This case is driving me crazy. I keep feeling like something's happened that I can't quite put my finger on." He took a sip of the coffee and stared out a large picture window as he thought. Back in Las Vegas, Kevin Jenkins, the CEO of 'Sex, Lies, and Internet' told Hodgins that he'd make a film for him. That didn't sit well with him. If he was making a tape for Hodgins, then whoever they chose probably wouldn't be the usual blonde. Greta agreed to be around in case they needed to choose someone, but Hodgins didn't go for blondes.

"Well, I'm sure it'll come to you eventually." Booth made a non-committal sound as he continued to think. The feed had been shut down after Temperance said she knew who they could contact for help, but she never said who it was that was contacted.

"Max, what did you guys discuss after the computer feed ended?"

"Tempe called up her source and Cullen verified that all of the cameras had been removed from the house. I double checked and agree with that. This place is locked up safe."

"Is that all? I just feel like I'm missing something."

"No. Tempe figured that they could use backlogged security tapes at the Jeffersonian to identify Santana on the snuff films, and Angela went back to work to get the tapes for analysis." Booth paused midway into bringing his coffee cup to his lips. Oh, he thought, that's not good.

"Did anyone call her to see if she's okay?"

"No. Why wouldn't she be okay at the Jeffersonian? That place has amazing security."

"Yeah, and all of the guards and systems are set up by the FBI." Booth set the cup down and raced up the stairs to get his cell phone. That had to be what bothered him. He'd not heard all of the facts, would have told them not to do anything through the Jeffersonian unless someone approved by either himself or Cullen was there to witness it.

When he got back to the bedroom, Temperance was beginning to stir. She blinked sleepily as he dug through the pocket of his jeans for his phone.

"Booth, what's going on?"

"We need to call Angela." Brenna sat up further in bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Why? Did you find out anything on the case?"

"No, but I think that's the problem." He fumbled a moment more until the phone was free from the confines of his pocket. After quickly dialing, he began to pace as he waited for the line to pick up. After several rings, he cursed, hung up and dialed another number.

"Why is that the problem? Is something wrong?" Seeley looked at Temperance, about to give an answer when the line was answered.

"Cam, has Angela come in this morning?" Brennan frowned. Why was he wondering about Angela? "Well can you go check her office?" After a moment, he cursed and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, thanks. I'm going to be down there as soon as I can. Call Cullen and let him know that something's happened to Angela."

"What happened? What's wrong?" Booth looked over at Temperance.

"Angela's stuff is in her office, but the place is trashed. I think someone's taken her, or at the very least tried to destroy evidence." Temperance bolted out of the bed and raced for the closet to get dressed.

"Do you think they were after the tapes?"

"Yeah, and considering that the FBI is in charge of hiring the security for the Jeffersonian I'd say it's a safe bet that someone there knows what's going on." Brennan grabbed onto a wall, her face going white and slid down toward the floor. Concerned, Booth rushed to her side. "Baby, what's wrong, are you okay?"

"This is my fault. You didn't want anyone at the FBI knowing what was going on, and I suggested looking into the tapes. If something happened to Angela, it's my fault."

"Hey, no it's not. You haven't done anything wrong. It was a legitimate suggestion you made regarding the tapes. We'll figure out what's going on. Right now I'm going to meet Cullen at the Jeffersonian and see what we can find, okay?"

"I'm going with you."

"No you're not. You're supposed to be in bed, resting. You've already ignored that enough this week, and I don't want anything to happen to you too, okay? I couldn't stand it."

"But I need to be there."

"Hey, your dad will be here with you, and I'll keep you informed of everything, okay? I swear." Temperance nodded and sniffed a little bit. She really didn't want to risk the life of their child as much as she wanted to help look for Angela, but Booth was right. She had to stay put.

"Okay, just please be careful." Booth smiled and kissed her on the lips.

"That's my girl. If you hear from your source, let me know." Temperance nodded and Booth helped her to her feet. "I love you, you know that?" He kissed her again and led her back to the bed to rest. She sighed grumpily as he fussed over her, fluffing pillows and arranging the blankets so she'd be more comfortable.

"Booth, I'm fine. Please go check on Angela." He nodded and left the room, looking back at her once before heading out of the house. To say that he was worried about her was an understatement. They'd been through entirely too much in the close to a year that they'd been together. Now, on top of worrying about his wife, he had to figure out what happened to Angela.

Passing by the kitchen, he informed Max of where he was going and headed for the museum. The entire trip, he was lost in thought. Obviously someone on the security team was working with or for Santana. They must have alerted the FBI agent that she was looking into the security tapes. He frowned. But that didn't account for why she was taken. Santana could have easily had the security team destroy the evidence. No, something else was going on.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Hodgins, who'd stayed behind in Vegas to wait for word on the video. Even though he and Angela weren't currently together, the bug man would be devastated if anything happened to the artist. It took a few rings before he picked up, and Hodgins sounded incredibly tired when he answered.

"Bugs slimes and…to hell with it. Why are you calling at six in the morning?"

"Look man, I'm sorry for the early call, but you need to get back here as soon as possible."

"Why, what's going on?"

"Angela's missing." There was a pause on the other end of the line and Booth could hear Jack getting out of bed, presumably to get dressed.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Right. Listen, I'll text you if we find out anything before you get here. Get a hold of Agent Taylor and let her know what's going on."

"Yeah, okay. And Booth?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"Find Angie for me."

XxXxX

Angela looked around the room in which she was kept. Her hands were tied behind her back, her mouth taped over to prevent her from screaming. She tried to calm down her racing heart as she took in her surroundings. The place looked like a torture chamber, with bizarre apparatus all over. A few of them she recognized as sexual devices, but there were a lot more that she wasn't sure what they were for.

Okay, she thought. Obviously Santana has me, but why? Why didn't he just take that evidence and leave me alone? She pulled at the binds on her wrists, but they just wouldn't budge. She didn't really think it would be that easy, but it was worth the try. She heard a door creak open and looked in the direction of the sound. A woman stood in the doorway, but she couldn't make out her face from the back lighting.

"Well Angela, I never would have thought to take you, but I'm just doing what I was told." Angela glared at the woman and struggled again to release the tight binds on her wrists. The voice sounded familiar, but without the ability to see the woman's face she wasn't able to recognize who was talking. Faces were her thing, and to a much lesser extent, voices. The answer was literally right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"You know, dark hair really isn't my thing, but I think I can overlook it just this once. Maybe we could put you in a blonde wig for the occasion, what do you think?" The woman held a wig out in her hand and spun it around a bit for the artist to see. "Then again, I'm not the one who'll be with you. It's a shame I know. I've heard you have an interest in women."

Angela struggled again with the bindings, the chair tipping a bit in the process. As she threatened to topple over, the woman sauntered toward her, her face finally coming into view. Agent Chelsea Shourt smirked as she looked around the room.

"You know, Mickey has some favorite things he likes to try, but I think I'm going to dictate what's to happen to you. Did Dr. Hodgins have any preferences? We're doing this for him you know. He wants a video, so who better to star than the woman he loves, right?"

Angela's eyes widened. They took her to torture Hodgins? No, they couldn't do that. He'd never be able to live with himself if anything happened to her. Tears began to form in her eyes as she continued to watch Chelsea move around the room, looking at all of the equipment.

"I believe he said he's tied you up a few times, am I right? Maybe that's what we'll do, although Mickey does like a struggle." Chelsea fingered a set of wrist binds hanging from an inverted table. With a smile and a nod, she left the apparatus alone and walked into a darkened corner of the room. Angela could barely make out the camera equipment set up there. Her heart pounded in her chest. Oh god, they were going to do to her what they'd done to countless young women, and there was no way she could get loose. The tears pricking her eyes began to fall down her cheeks as she said a prayer to whoever was listening to get her out of this before it was too late.

XxXxX

"I want this entire building swept for evidence, and I want every security video on property brought to me. Someone had to see something and I want to know who did," Booth bellowed from the examination platform. Cam and Director Cullen stood with him, all three wearing the same grim expression. Agent Charlie Burns jogged in from the outside along with Sweets, the psychologist having been informed of the abduction.

"Burns, you and Sweets are to interview every single security guard who was on duty last night. I want to know who the son of a bitch was that let this happen," Cullen barked. Charlie nodded and took off with Sweets for the security office for both the tapes and interviews. As they walked away, Cam let out a breath and shook her head.

"I never would have pegged Santana for this type. You're sure it's him?"

"There's no one else it can be, Cam. He's the one that arranges all of the security for this lab, and he's the only one besides us that knows about the case."

"Still…"

"I need you to pull all the evidence collected from Rebecca Teasdale's case, along with what we have on the other victims. See if anything's been tampered with and try to get a dna match on the semen." Cam nodded and left the two FBI men alone. Booth let out a breath and felt Cullen place a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find Angela. If there's one thing I've learned over the past few years, it's that no one can go up against your team and get away with murder." The sound of clicking heels brought their attention to the entrance of the lab. There, standing in the doorway, was Noor Haddad. Booth's jaw dropped as he looked at her. She smiled and placed a hand on her hip as she looked him over.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't sexy Seeley."


	22. Chapter 22

"Noor?" Booth looked at the diplomat in shock while Cullen cursed under his breath. She was Brennan's contact? The diplomat smiled up at them and sashayed her way toward the platform.

"I received a call from Dr. Brennan that my assistance was needed on a case. I'm sure you can imagine my surprise that she would call me, but suffice it to say, I feel I owe her, so here I am." Booth sighed and met her at the stairs to swipe her in. As she leaned in to kiss him on the lips, he pulled back, his eyebrows raised.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Greeting you?"

"Is that how you greet all married men?" Noor's eyebrows shot up.

"You're married?"

"Yes. I'm actually surprised you didn't know. The entire world seems to know about it. It's been all over the damned tabloids."

"You know I don't pay attention to that trash. So who is the lucky woman?"

"Temperance." Noor was silent for a moment.

"Oh? And how is she?"

"Pregnant." Again the ambassador was silent. She flicked imaginary dust off the edge of her suit jacket as Cullen smirked. Well, he thought, this ought to be entertaining.

"Do you have the information that Dr. Brennan asked you to look into," Cullen asked to break the awkwardness that had set in. In his own dealings with the woman, he knew she could be quite formidable when she wanted, and this…uncomfortable setting didn't sit well with him.

"Yes. I had my people look into the agent's background and they found out some interesting things about him." Noor handed the file to Booth and crossed her arms while she waited for him to look it over. "I was honestly surprised that he's being considered a suspect in this whole case, but after looking over the evidence I realized that he fit a partial profile for the murderers."

"What do you mean," Cullen asked. Noor turned to the deputy director and shrugged.

"I gave Booth my profile of the murderer back when he was working the case, what nine or ten months ago? We're looking for a couple."

"Yes, we know. We have video proof." The ambassador raised her eyebrows, interested.

"Really?"

"Yes. We have a video of Rebecca's murder that was found on the internet. You can watch it if you'd like, but I don't recommend it. It's pretty difficult to stomach."

"Well, what I was going to say was that Rebecca would not have just gotten in the car with a man, so she had to feel comfortable enough to get into the car. The individuals are highly intelligent, but what doesn't fit is that most serial killers have jobs that are beneath their intelligence level. Usually they view women as evil, or objects of lust and by murdering them, they are quelling that desire. Even with cases of serial rapists, the person usually has a mundane background."

"And these rape/murders didn't quite fit the profile."

"No. There seemed to be a missing element to her case that didn't make sense to me." Booth handed the file back to Noor and leaned against an examination table.

"Her case was different from the others connected to it. She was killed for sport whereas the other women were murdered for money."

"How many other murders were there?"

"I found six others that fit the profile. Our psychologist, Dr. Lance Sweets said that the person we're looking for is most likely from Richmond. I know for a fact that Santana lives in the area. That's quite a drive to make everyday."

"Then it is not him that is in control of the operation, it is the woman in the couple. That is why Santana seems so wrong to me. The woman picks the targets, regardless of whether or not they're getting paid. She dictates what happens in the scenario."

"Okay, but the big question is whether or not Santana was in California at the time. If he was, then we'll bring him in, but if not…"

"You're looking at this the wrong way. Santana shouldn't be your focus. It's the woman who is in charge. I'm willing to bet that she's quite adept at making herself seem inept and non-threatening. At the same time though, she'll feel like she's better than everyone else. After all, she's literally getting away with murder."

"Booth." Seeley, Cullen and Noor all turned as Cam scanned onto the examination platform. "Whoever took Angela took all of the evidence. There's nothing at all. Even the records saved on my hard drive are gone."

"Damn it." Booth blew out a breath and crossed his arms over his chest. There was something he was missing amidst the whole mess. What was the name of the agent that Agent Taylor said worked over her? Maybe she would know who was involved. Oh yes, that's right. Chelsea Shourt.

"Noor, I think you're right about one thing. There's a woman involved and I think I know who we can talk to about this case."

"You have an idea Booth?" Cullen looked at the younger agent. Booth nodded and uncrossed his arms, more confident.

"We need to find Chelsea Shourt." Cullen snorted and shook his head.

"You've got to be kidding me. That girl couldn't find her way out of a wet paper bag. She's completely inept."

"She would have to appear that way if she was trying to hide evidence of wrongdoing on her part." Cullen opened his mouth to disagree, but Agent Charlie Burns interrupted him.

"Booth's right sir. Chelsea was the one who got rid of Miriam Lewis' debt and convinced her to let them into the hotel to set up the cameras. She also transferred out here eight months ago from the Los Angeles office. Seems it made it easier on her commuting back and forth."

"What are you talking about?" Charlie shrugged.

"Someone's got to listen to talk around the water cooler if you and Booth aren't going to. She was tired of the back and forth from California for work she did on the side involving film consultation. Santana was contacted by her a few years back about a transfer, but there just weren't any positions open."

"So he's really not involved?"

"No, not that I can see. He's never been a fan of Booth's, so he's been a bit blind when it came to anything dealing with him or Dr. Brennan."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I was planning to inform you in her dealings with Miriam Lewis, but it slipped my mind when I was called in regarding Miss Montenegro's abduction. I just put the rest of the pieces together."

"And where exactly does she live?"

XxXxX

Greta stormed into Kevin Jenkins office under no pretense of her undercover work. She was angry and all business with the entire situation. Jack Hodgins informed her of the abduction before he'd left for the airport, and now thanks to the Jeffersonian, she had all of the questionable video she needed to throw his ass in jail for a very long time.

Kevin looked up, startled as she burst into his office. He took in the pantsuit she wore, her own professional armor as opposed to the leather she so frequently had on.

"Ah, to what do I owe the pleasure of this rather unorthodox visit?"

"I'm placing you under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder." Greta pulled out her cuffs as she approached the porn star magnate. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"I highly doubt you have anything to prove that fact. You've been around me for years with no proof. What could possibly have changed?" Kevin stood as Greta pulled his arms around, cuffing them behind his back.

"You have the right to an attorney. If you desire an attorney but can't afford one, then one will be provided for you before police questioning."

"Honestly, this is ridiculous. You have nothing against me and never will." Greta pushed the man forward into his desk, eliciting a small grunt of pain.

"It's a good thing I know your love of domination, because I'll be sure to pick your cell mate carefully."

"That really isn't necessary, but thank you for the offer."

"You tell me what I want to know, and I'll see about going easy on you… oh wait, you don't like things to be easy." She pressed him harder against the desk. He grunted again, but she could see the smile on his face. "Where's that film for Jack Hodgins being made?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Bullshit. I don't have time for this game. Where is Chelsea making the film?" He grew silent at the name. A grim smile spread over Chelsea's face. So, he did know something. "God damn it, tell me!"

"I need to call my attorney first." Greta growled and let him up. They had no time to mess around and now the bastard was asking for his lawyer?

"Fine, but I will find out what I need to know. You'd better hope that no one dies because of this." She pulled him roughly from the desk and walked him out of the office. This wasn't over by a long shot.

XxXxX

Angela struggled against the bonds on her wrists. She lay at an angle on the inverted table, cuffed so she couldn't escape. The metal cuffs were locked tight, chafing her skin as she wriggled to free herself. The tape was still over her mouth, and her eyes were puffy from the tears she'd cried. She couldn't see behind her, but could hear sounds as Chelsea readied whatever it was that she planned on doing to her. Angela wriggled some more, hoping that there was a way to slip out of the bonds. When she was younger, and worked with the hypnotist, she'd learned how to dislocate her thumb in order to slip out of different bindings, but she couldn't do it unless her hands were closer together. As it was, both of her wrists were chained to opposite corners of the table.

"Angela, really, there's no use in struggling. You're not going to get out of those cuffs. Why waste all of that energy now when we haven't even gotten close to the fun part." Angela snorted when she heard that. Fun for whom exactly? Certainly not her, that's for sure. She struggled against the bonds once more until she heard the door to the room open.

Straining, she turned her head to see who was coming into the room. Her eyes widened in recognition of the man. How many times had she seen him at the Jeffersonian? Her heart began to pound in her chest as everything fell into place in her mind. Michael 'Mickey' Barrett had worked security at the Jeffersonian for years now. He'd been there during their Christmas quarantine, escorting family to visit on the opposite side of the glass. He'd been there during her hot times with Hodgins in the supply closets and storage rooms, and most likely was there while the live feed aired when Hodgins said he'd tied her up a time or two.

This whole time he was reporting to agent ditz here and that's how the creepy porn guy in Vegas knew about Jack. It wasn't necessarily from a source in the FBI. It was from a security officer at the Jeffersonian who'd overheard everything. All the time they spent discussing cases and this man knew everything.

"Well Angela," Mickey smirked as he looked her over. "I have to admit that I've always wanted to see you like this. I always hoped it would be under more mutual circumstances, but que sera sera as they say." He moved closer to her, until he was standing right next to her. Angela squeezed her eyes shut as he reached out to caress her cheek with his hand. A wave of revulsion rolled over her and she tried to hold back the urge to vomit.

"Mickey, you're wasting time. The sooner we do this, the sooner we get paid," Chelsea said as she stepped away from the camera equipment after pressing record. Mickey looked over at her and smiled.

"Whatever you say baby. You hear that Angela, it's time for us to get better acquainted." He laughed and began to pull off his jacket, humming as he went. Despite her best efforts to stave off the growing horror, the words to the song filtered in to Angela's head. _Que sera sera, whatever will be will be, the future's not ours to see, what will be will be._


	23. Chapter 23

_**AN: Sorry for the delay in the story, but I've been busy and have had some major changes occur of late. My big news is that I'm expecting child number two, so I'm pretty excited. Otherwise, it's been a bit crazy at work, so I've been justifiably tired of late. Hope this update is okay. I'll be wrapping this up in one or two chapters. Anyway, enjoy and please let me know what you think.**_

_When I was a little girl, I asked my mother what would I be? Will I be pretty, will I be rich, here's what she said to me. Que sera sera. Whatever will be will be, the future's not ours to see…_Mickey peeled off his shirt and walked around to look at Angela's face. The artist had her eyes squeezed shut, fighting valiantly to not cry again as her body shook in fear. He ran a finger along her cheek and smiled as the look of revulsion covered it.

"You really shouldn't be looking at me like that you know. If you're willing this will go a lot better, I can guarantee it." Angela shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She heard the click of high heels approach and could only assume that Chelsea had joined the security guard.

"Just think Angela, when all of this is done you'll still be able to end up at your precious lab." The door to the room burst open, flooding the room with chaos as police officers stormed in. Angela let out a loud sob, the sound muffled however by the tape over her mouth. She shut her eyes, shaking as the sobbing overtook her body in relief. Everything seemed to be muffled and in slow motion around her as Chelsea and Mickey were taken into custody. It was in a haze of frightened relief that the artist was released from her bonds and collapsed on the floor.

Angela jerked away from the hand that reached out for her until she realized it was one of her rescuers. She looked at the man who only held concern in his gaze for her.

"I'm just going to remove this tape from your mouth, okay? I'm not going to hurt you." Angela nodded, too weak as the flood of adrenaline died off to stop him. He pulled the tape off in one quick stroke, and the artist winced at the pull. "You're okay now. We received a call from the FBI in regards to your capture. We need to take you to a local hospital to make sure you're okay, and then we'll need a statement from you."

"Where's Agent Booth," she rasped and coughed at the dryness in her throat. The officer helped her up while EMTs wheeled in a stretcher for her.

"Agent Booth is on his way. DC's a good two hours from here and he didn't have enough time to assemble a team his self. He'll meet us at the hospital, okay?" Angela nodded and allowed the EMTs to help her onto the stretcher and start to check her vitals. It was over. It was over and she would be fine. She would be fine after a few sessions with Sweets, not that she needed them mind you, but just in case she did… She lay back on the stretcher and tried to relax as she was wheeled from the building, her wrists raw from trying to escape her bonds, and her throat on fire from having no water for several hours.

Now it would all be a bad dream, and she could move on. Move on to what she wondered as she was loaded into the ambulance. One thing was for certain. There was one person to whom she would move back to, the one man who was always there despite the end of their relationship. She needed Jack.

XxXxX

"What room is she in," Booth asked as he flashed his badge and approached the police officer in the emergency room. Temperance was on his heels, worry etched on her face.

"Room two oh one. She's been asking for you and someone named Jack." Booth gave a quick nod and headed back toward the room with his wife. She clutched his hand as he pushed the door open, both of them letting out a relieved breath when they saw her. Temperance rushed to the artist's side and threw her arms around her.

"Ange, we were so worried." Angela hugged her friend back, but looked past her at Booth.

"Where's Jack?"

"He's on his way. He left Las Vegas as soon as he got the news. I left him a message to let him know you were safe and in Richmond." She gave a nod and leaned back on her pillows.

"I really thought that was it, you know? I've never been in that position before. I don't know how you guys do that, you know?"

"It's in the job description," Booth said and leaned against a wall as Brennan took a seat next to her friend. The two women had a death grip on each other's hands.

"It isn't in Bren's job description." She turned to her best friend, more serious than she'd ever been. "If that's what you go through, then you need to stop. Do you hear me? I can't imagine going through this again and again. Please promise me that you'll stop putting yourself in danger."

"Ange…"

"I'm serious Bren. I didn't think I was going to come out of that alive, and all I could think was that I'd never see any of you again. Stop putting yourself into dangerous situations and we'll all live much happier and stress free lives." Temperance looked from Angela to Booth before returning her gaze to her best friend.

"I'm confused here. We came here, driving much faster than made me comfortable to make sure you're unhurt but I'm receiving the lecture on dangerous life choices?"

"It's how I work Sweetie; you should know that by now. I'm fine. I'm alive and I'll probably have trouble sleeping for a while, but I'll get over it." The two looked at each other for a long while and Temperance nodded.

"I won't promise anything, but I'll certainly try to be more careful once I return to work." Angela nodded and turned to look at Booth. He pointed over his shoulder and headed backwards toward the door to the hospital room.

"I'm going to just get a report from the local P.D. Bones, can you stay here with Angela?" He threw out a quick smile and turned, leaving the room and the two women alone. Temperance looked down at her hands for a minute and when she looked back up, there were tears in her eyes.

"I thought we lost you, and if we did it would have been my fault."

"No, it wouldn't have been. I should have waited until morning, or I should have made sure that there was someone else in the lab with me…"

"But I suggested we search the tapes." Angela grabbed hold of her friend's shoulders and gave the anthropologist a slight shake.

"Stop blaming yourself. It's not the rational thing to do." The corners of Brennan's lips quirked up at her friend's words.

"Are you trying to use logic on me Angela?"

"Is it working?"

"Yes."

"Well then see? Stick with what you know, unless of course it has to do with Booth, in which case don't you ever logic your way out of anything."

"Then stop trying to convince me you're okay. I know you're not. We were worried, all of us were." Brennan watched as Angela's eyes welled up and the artist swiped at the tears.

"I just kept praying, you know, that Booth would find me in time. I tried to know that Booth was going to figure it out in time, that you all would figure it out, but at the end there…" Angela shook her head. "I'm jealous of you sweetie."

"Why would you be jealous of me?"

"You've always had absolute faith in Booth, and before you start giving me the lecture that you base your trust in him based on past performance and an understanding of his skill, you know I don't buy it for a minute. You have faith in him, absolutely. You know he's going to save you. I just…don't have that. All I could think was that I was going to die horribly and that it would kill Hodgins to know they were doing this to torture him."

"They did it to torture all of us Ange."

"I didn't want him to have to suffer because I did. I…" Angela shook her head and wiped away her tears. "I didn't want to die without letting him know that I never stopped loving him." When she turned back, she was met with two pairs of piercing blue eyes. She looked past Brennan and locked gazes with Jack Hodgins. Neither moved or said anything and just held the gaze.

Brennan slowly got up from her seat and left the room and the conversation she knew they would need to have. She wandered down the hallway and found Booth just finishing up with the police officer. He glanced back at her and smiled at her.

"Did Hodgins find the room okay?"

"He did. Cullen wants to promote you." Booth raised an eyebrow at her comment.

"How would you know that?"

"He told me a couple of days ago. I said that I didn't think you'd want the position, but he's adamant." Booth smiled at her and shook his head.

"You're probably right, but it would give me more steady hours. You wouldn't have to worry about being as restricted at the lab."

"Yes, but we're in this together Booth. I don't plan on having the same hours. As much as children don't necessarily need their parents to raise them if given adequate support, I want to be there for our child."

"And I know you will be." Temperance placed a hand on Booth's cheek, holding his gaze to hers.

"Don't take a job just because you think it will make things easier for me."

"You know I wouldn't do that."

"Yes you would. I know it's a good opportunity for you, but I just don't think you'd be happy in the position."

"And what position is that?"

"You'd be taking over Santana's job." Booth made a face. That would move him out of the field and put him behind a desk. No thank you. Brennan just shook her head and smiled at her husband. "I told you that you wouldn't want it."

"Well, I'll just let him offer and we'll see what happens." Temperance nodded and leaned into Booth, suddenly tired. The whole day had been taxing. The wait to find out what happened to Angela, the drive from their home to Richmond and now that she knew that Angela was safe, she was exhausted. Booth looked down at her as she sighed. "Something wrong baby?"

"Take me home?" He nodded and leaned down to kiss her. The local PD had already spoken to Angela, and they were going to send the report to him. There was nothing else holding them here. Angela was safe and with Hodgins and they would only be intruding if they stuck around.

"Come on, I'll draw you a bath."

"Only if you're planning to join me." They both smiled and headed from the hospital, their arms around each other, holding each other as close to the other as possible.


	24. Chapter 24

_AN: Okay guys, this is the next to the last of the chapters. I know it's so sad to see this ending, but really, it had to happen sooner or later. I hope you enjoy this, and I look forward to your comments._

"Ah Booth, thank you for seeing me so quickly. Please have a seat." Cullen motioned to a chair opposite his desk and looked at Booth for a long time before he finally spoke. "I wanted to thank you on the work you did on this last case. You and your team at the Jeffersonian do amazing work."

"Thank you sir, but I'm not sure how much credit I can really take on this one."

"You always have been modest about your accomplishments, and I want to apologize for underestimating your abilities these last few months."

"Sir, you had reason to doubt my abilities. I understand." Cullen gave the agent in front of him an appraising look before opening up the file in front of him.

"Has the Ambassador returned home yet?" Booth was taken aback by the question. It certainly wasn't what he expected his boss to ask him.

"No, she's actually having lunch with Bones today." Cullen began to laugh, and Booth was even more surprised at the reaction.

"That's a conversation I'd like to overhear. Both of those women are spitfires. Did you know that after the incident in San Diego that Ambassador Haddad threatened the review board if they fired you?"

"She did what?"

"She said that taking the file was entirely her fault and that if we let you go then she would go to someone higher up to assure that you kept your job."

"Sir, why are you telling me this?"

"I spoke with the review board this morning regarding your recent suspension and asked them to clear your record of any wrongdoing as you should not have had disciplinary action taken against you." Booth stared at his boss, unsure of what to say. "In fact, they've agreed that you should be up for promotion."

"Up for…but I like where I'm at."

"Booth, you've been in the FBI for how long now?"

"About thirteen years now."

"Exactly. You're too talented an agent to not have upward movement, which is why I've recommended you for a position." The two men looked at each other for a long time before Booth cleared his throat nervously.

"What position were you thinking of offering?"

"Well, I was going to offer you Santana's recently vacated position, but on further reflection, I just didn't think that it was a fit for you."

"Oh." Booth was somewhat disappointed at the news. He'd been all primed to turn down the position, because the last thing that he wanted to do was sit at a desk all day and deal with beurocrats.

"I do happen to know that a position is available much closer to your home though. It seems that Quantico is in need of a new instructor. The pay and hours are much better, and I believe the commute is better too."

"You want me to be an instructor?" Cullen smiled at the look of shock on Booth's face.

"Booth, I've worked for the FBI a long time, and I've got to say that if all of our agents were as honorable as you are, then we'd be a lot better off. We need people like you to influence the new recruits, give them some advice, words of wisdom, that sort of thing. What do you say?" Booth stared at his boss for a long moment before giving a hesitant nod. Cullen gave a short nod in return and wrote down something in the file. "Great. I'll get in touch with Lawrence Silas at Quantico and let him know the position is filled. In the meantime, I want you to take a few days off. You deserve them after this case. If I need your signature for any of the paperwork I'll give you a call."

"Thank you sir."

"Anytime Booth. Now get out of here and go spend some time with your family."

XxXxX

"I have to admit Dr. Brennan that I was surprised you called me regarding this case," Noor said as she took a sip of tea. "I was pretty sure that you would never want to have contact again."

"You're right, I wanted nothing to do with you, but I also realize that you have contacts that I myself do not, and Booth needed help with this case."

"Well I'll admit that you get right to the point. Why did you invite me to lunch?" Brennan crossed her hands over her legs and looked at Noor for a long moment.

"I don't like you, although I'm sure you are aware of that. Booth's suspension in San Diego was your fault, and my subsequent injury could have been prevented as well if you hadn't had him pulled off of the case initially, but despite that, I need to thank you for your help. I know that you only provided information to do a favor for Booth, but I feel the need to thank you regardless." Noor cocked her head to the side and regarded the anthropologist for a moment.

"It's not often that people are completely direct with me. Generally my position generates a certain amount of respect from people, so I find I don't quite know what to think when someone speaks so bluntly." Noor set down her teacup and mimicked Temperance's postion. "You are right. I did give assistance as a favor for Seeley, but also I feel that I owe you. You saved my life all those months ago, and the only thing you got for your trouble was a bullet wound.

"I overheard the doctor when he said that you would be unable to have children. As I'm sure you know, in my culture it is disastrous for a woman to be unable to conceive. Women are shunned for an inability to have children, so you can imagine the amount of guilt I felt when I heard the news."

"You helped because you felt guilty?"

"I assisted you because I owe you for causing such problems in your life. You saved my life when I'd been nothing but mean to you, so my debt to you can never be truly repaid. Just know that anytime you need help, I'll be there to offer my assistance."

"That's completely unnecessary, but thank you for the offer." Noor nodded and stood up. Brennan did the same, the two women facing each other for a moment in silence.

"This is goodbye then. I appreciate that you took the time to see me Dr. Brennan." The two women shook hands and Brennan led Noor to the front door.

"Of course," Temperance responded and watched as the Ambassador left the house. As she shut the door, Brennan heard her father enter the room from the kitchen.

"You know," he said when she returned to the couch, "I thought that would go much worse than it did."

"It's so nice to know you have such a high level of confidence in my inter-personal skills." Max chuckled and moved to sit down next to his daughter.

"I wasn't worried about you. Booth said that Noor can tend to be a bit childish."

"A bit? Dad, you didn't see her when she was in California. I've seen Parker behave better than her."

"That bad huh?" Brennan rolled her eyes. That was an understatement. She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when she heard the back door open. Curious, she got up off of the couch and was met by Booth in the entrance to the kitchen.

"Booth, what are you doing here so early. Did you meet with Cullen today?" He leaned in and kissed her, the stunned look still there as he pulled her into his arms.

"Yeah, I did. You were right, he did offer me a promotion." She took in his expression and frowned. When he looked the way he did, she had a hard time reading him.

"And you said no?"

"I took it."

"But I thought you didn't want a desk job." The stunned expression dropped as a smile slowly spread over his face.

"He didn't offer me a desk job. I'll be training agents at Quantico."

"Booth, that's…"

"Congratulations son," Max said, joining the pair. He gave Booth a hearty slap on the back and grinned. "About time they properly utilize your talent."

"That's pretty much what Cullen said. It's just… I'm still trying to get over the shock. I wasn't expecting this, even though Bones told me."

"Well, you deserve it. What say I go pick us up some Chinese to celebrate?" Temperance smiled and leaned in closer to her husband. She placed her head against his chest as his arms tightened around her waist.

"That sounds perfect dad."

XxXxX

"Yes, you heard me correctly. I'm not going to go on the book tour once I've had my child." Brennan huffed out a breath as she spoke to her publisher on the phone. She lay in bed with Booth, his body practically trapping her to the mattress as he snored away, content to have her next to him. She tried to keep her voice down, but the woman on the other end of the line was so frustrating.

"Why does it matter why? I'm tired of all the publicity. I'm tired of how much the press has interfered with my life in the last year, and just want my private life to remain that way." Booth stirred, and opened his eyes as his wife's voice became more and more agitated. "I don't care. I'll pay the cost of the cancellation fees if I have to, but I am asking to remain out of the spotlight. If this is a problem for you to understand, then I'm sure I can find other representation."

"What's going on," Booth asked as he let go of his wife and sat up in bed. She mouthed the word, 'nothing' and turned her concentration back to the phone call.

"Yes, thank you. I appreciate that. I'm sure we can work out all of the details later on this week." Temperance said her goodbyes and hung up the phone before turning to look at her husband.

"Okay, that so wasn't nothing," he said, and waited for the answer. She simply shrugged and settled back into her pillow.

"I've just decided to limit the amount of exposure I have. Since you'll be training new agents, I've come to the conclusion that while I will still provide consults for the FBI if needed, I will no longer be going out into the field."

"But you love going out into the field."

"Not exactly. I love going out there with you. I can still provide my expertise, but I find that my priorities are shifting and I need to focus more on our family instead of work."

"Bones, you don't need to do that."

"Yes, I do. We are having a child together, and if I want to ensure that he or she has the attention that they deserve, then I need to be there for everything. I don't want to be the parent that hears about all of the firsts from a nanny. I want to be there. The Jeffersonian provides a child care area for its employees, so I don't have to worry about a stranger watching our child." Booth smirked and pulled Brennan up to his side. She squinted at him, not sure why he'd be smiling. "What is so funny?"

"You're hot when you go all maternal." Temperance grinned wickedly and poked him in the chest.

"Then you'd better behave yourself or you'll earn yourself a spanking."

"I'm confused here, what's the incentive for being good?" He hauled her up on top of his body and brought her lips to his. Yes, she thought as his kisses traveled away from her mouth and down toward her breasts, what was the incentive?


	25. Chapter 25

_AN: The few sentences that are in italics in this chapter are from the book, 'The Incredible Journey'. The book is great and so is the original movie that was made in 1963. If you've only ever seen the re-make from the early nineties, 'Homeward Bound: he Incredible Journey' I definitely suggest finding the original because to me the story loses something when you give voices to the animals. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as it is the last chapter of the story. And as a side note, does anyone actually give the birds and the bees speech anymore or is it always, "When a man and a woman love each other very much…" Just curious. Let me know what you think._

Snow fell outside in thick, fat flakes, blanketing the ground and muffling the noise from the street. Temperance shifted on the couch, trying to ease the ache that had taken up residence in her back. She'd been on forced maternity leave for a week, and wasn't happy about it. She'd fully intended to work up until she went into labor, but Dr. Tarlow and Cam both agreed that it would be best for her to take off a little time to rest before labor began.

"Bones, I'm bored," came a whining voice from the vicinity of the basement. The voice was immediately followed by the sounds of footsteps clomping up from the basement.

"I'm sure there's plenty to do Parker," she called back, turning as the grouchy eight year old joined her in the living room. He crossed his arms and sat on the couch in a huff.

"No there's not. I don't know where dad put the Wii and the stupid snow made the TV go all fuzzy." Brennan smirked at the obstinate sound in Parker's voice, but schooled her expression into something she hoped resembled empathy for his situation.

"Well how about this then. Why don't you go into the library and look for a book called, 'The Incredible Journey' and I'll read it if you want to keep me company." Parker looked skeptical, but shrugged and hopped up to do what she said anyway. Spending time with his stepmother had to be better than staring at the fuzzy television screen. It took him a couple of minutes to find the book, but when he did, he hurried back into the living room and handed it to Brennan as he sat down next to her.

"What's the book about," he asked as she carefully tucked her blanket around the both of them. Despite the fire in the fireplace, and the heater on, the room was a bit cold. That's what comes of living in old houses, she thought as she opened the book to the first page.

"It's a story about three animals who travel across the Canadian Wilderness to find their family. My dad used to read this to me and Russ when we were little and there was nothing else to do."

"Grandpa Max likes this book?" Brennan nodded and waited as Parker seemed to be contemplating something. After a moment, he nodded; his mind made up and turned back to Brennan. "I guess if Grandpa likes it then it has to be good."

"I'm glad you hold my father's opinion in such high esteem," she said and cleared her throat. Never had she thought that she would one day be repeating this tradition with anyone, but here she was, curled up on the couch and about to read one of her favorite books to her stepson. "_This journey took place in a part of Canada which lies in the northwestern part of the great sprawling province of Ontario._"

"Bones?"

"Yes Parker?"

"Have you ever been to Ontario?" She looked up from the book for a second and shook her head.

"No, I haven't. I have been to Montreal in Quebec though. I worked with another forensic anthropologist on a consult."

"Oh, okay." He looked at her with anticipation again, waiting for her to continue. Temperance shifted again, annoyed that the ache in her back made it hard to find a comfortable position.

"_It is a vast area of deeply wooded wilderness-of endless chains of lonely lakes and rushing rivers. Thousands of miles of country roads, rough timber lanes, overgrown tracks leading to abandoned mines, and unmapped trails snake across its length and breadth…_"

XxXxX

"Honey, where are you?" Max Keenan shut the kitchen door behind him as he stomped the snow off of his boots. When he didn't hear her answer, he frowned and headed off to see where she was. He paused in the doorway to the living room and smiled at the sight greeting him. Parker was curled up next to Temperance, snoring lightly as she ran her fingers through his mop of curls. His smile faltered at the grimace that appeared on her face though. "Tempe, are you okay?"

"I believe I'm experiencing labor pains," she hissed as deep pain ran in a wave from her lower back to her abdominals.

"What? How far apart are they? Why didn't you call anyone?" Max hurried to the couch as Temperance relaxed back into the couch and took a deep breath when the pain subsided.

"I wasn't sure until a few minutes ago that I was actually experiencing contractions, but they seem fairly close together. I haven't been able to time them." Her father sighed and ran a hand down his face. Her hospital wasn't far, but the snow was making driving nearly impossible.

"Okay, you wake up Parker and call Booth, and I'll go upstairs and grab your bag. We need to get you to the hospital." He didn't wait for a response as he hurried away to get her bag from the master bedroom. Even though he'd been through this with his own wife twice before, he'd never been so nervous. This was his baby that was in labor. He could still remember her in pigtails, sitting in his lap while he read to her and Russ. His chest tightened slightly, and not for the first time, he regretted leaving her alone at such a young age. Pushing the guilt back, he raced into her room to pick up the suitcase she'd packed a few weeks earlier. He raced back down the stairs, suitcase thumping behind him and rounded into the living room.

"I'm sorry, but you need to track him down and inform him that his wife is in labor." Brennan had a surly look on her face as she slowly paced the living room. Parker was still trying to wake up from his nap and looked at her, confused. "Yes, he knows what hospital to go to. Yes, thank you." She hung up the phone with a huff.

"Couldn't get a hold of Booth?" Max brought a coat over to Parker and Temperance, helping his daughter into hers as she huffed again.

"No. If he's on the firing range with the recruits then he wouldn't have his phone on him."

"I'm sure he'll get the message in time to make it to the hospital. Now let's get going before that baby decides to pop out to say hello." Parker frowned and looked back and forth from the two adults.

"Bones are you having the baby?" Brennan inhaled sharply and held her breath for a moment as she nodded. The eight year old looked at her solemnly and grabbed hold of one of her hands. "Don't worry. I've been watching the Discovery health channel and I know just what to do if you have to push." Temperance would have laughed if she didn't hurt so much.

"I'm sure you'd go a great job too Parker," Max said as he waited for his daughter to relax again. "But hopefully we won't have to rely on you to help with delivery. Now let's get to the hospital, okay?" Brennan exhaled as the contraction ended and headed out to the car with her father, pausing when she felt a trickle down her leg.

"Dad, we don't have a lot of time. My water just broke." She gritted her teeth as he helped her into the car. This was why she needed Booth. If he were here, then they could use the siren and be there that much quicker.

XxXxX

"Okay Temperance, we're just waiting on the anesthesiologist and then we can get started," Dr. Tarlow stated as Temperance was prepped for her c-section. Brennan shook her head and looked toward the door.

"No, we have to wait for Booth to get here. He has to be here when the baby is born." Dr. Tarlow sighed and looked at her patient.

"I understand your wanting him here with you, but your bag of waters has already broken and we can't risk infection by waiting. The monitors show that due to the weakened state of your uterine muscle, your child is going into distress. We can't wait."

"But he wasn't there when Parker was born. He needs to see this."

"Do you want to risk your child's life?" The doctor locked eyes with the anthropologist. After a moment Brennan shook her head and wiped at the tears gathering in her eyes. "There's a good girl. It'll only be a couple of minutes and we'll have you all prepped, okay?"

"Okay." The door to the room opened and Temperance looked up expectantly, but felt like crying as the anesthesiologist entered the room with his equipment. Booth wasn't going to make it. She would have the baby and he wouldn't be there to see it. Tears began to stream down her face as the nurses and her obstetrician helped her sit up for the epidural.

"We're going to hook you up as a contraction hits to detract from the pain of insertion okay? It's okay to be scared Temperance. Did you want your father brought in for support?" Brennan shook her head and swallowed down a sob.

"He's out there with Parker." Dr. Tarlow nodded and helped Temperance to lie back as the nurses arranged the surgical covers.

"We have a mirror up top incase you want to watch the procedure. Just think, in just a couple of minutes, you'll be able to hold your baby in your arms for the first time." Dr. Tarlow disappeared behind the green wall of material set up for the surgical procedure, but kept talking to Temperance to keep the anthropologist comfortable. "Now, you're going to feel some pressure as we make the cut. Let me know if you feel anything beyond that, okay?"

"Okay." She closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath as the pressured feeling began. Brennan glanced up at the mirrors, watching as Dr. Tarlow made an incision in her lower abdomen. It was somewhat horrific and yet fascinating at the same time to see the doctor reach into the opening and pull out the baby.

"Congratulations, it's a girl," Dr. Tarlow said as the umbilical cord was cut. She quickly suctioned fluid from the lungs, and the newborn let out a lusty cry. Brennan started crying all over again. The doctor brought the baby around to show Temperance before a nurse took the little girl to get cleaned up, weighed and measured. She itched to hold the little girl in her arms, to really see her daughter for the first time, and felt her stomach drop because Booth missed the experience that he should have been a part of.

XxXxX

"…so when the bee comes to collect the nectar from the flower, it catches some of the pollen on its legs. That pollen then ends up catching in the pistil, and that lets the seeds germinate here," Max said as he pointed to different parts of the flower drawing he made. Parker looked at the drawing for a moment before looking up at Max.

"But what does that have to do with why Bones is having a baby?"

"Well, the fruit you eat, like apples or bananas, they all started out as seeds. Once the flower on the plant is pollinated it produces fruit. Plants reproduce with seeds, while animals all have eggs that babies grow from. Most creatures, including insects lay eggs and the babies hatch from them, but in other creatures, like dogs or people, those eggs need a safe place to develop, so they're carried inside of the body." The door to the waiting area swung open, and Booth skidded to a stop, out of breath.

"Max, what room is she in?" Max looked up at his son in law and shrugged. Parker turned and launched himself at his father for a hug, which Booth gave distractedly.

"I haven't heard yet. When we got here, she was taken to labor and delivery for the c-section, but until she's assigned an actual room, we won't be informed."

"Damn it." Booth blew out a breath and made his way over to the chairs Parker and Max were sitting in. "She would pick the one day I'm not at Quantico to go into labor."

"Where were you? We tried calling, but couldn't get through." Booth sat down with Parker as he looked at his father-in-law.

"I had to meet Caroline to go over the last minute details for the last case. You've met her. If I had my phone on, she'd have me on a platter. I didn't actually get the message until I was halfway home anyway. The snow is screwing with my signal." All three in the room turned as the door opened again, this time to reveal Dr. Tarlow. She took in the three worried expressions and smiled.

"Seeley, I'm glad you could make it, albeit a little late. Your wife wanted to wait, but in the best interest of both her health and the baby's, we had to proceed without you." Booth waved it off, but the look of disappointment remained on his face.

"How is Temperance? Is she okay? How's the baby?"

"Temperance is doing fine, though a little bit sore. She had a healthy baby girl, six pounds, six ounces and eighteen inches long. I'll go ahead and take you to her room, but let's get the three of you scrubbed up first. No touching the baby with dirty hands." Grins split across Booth and Max's face. She had a little girl. After a quick stop to clean up, the three followed the doctor to the room and peeked in to see Brennan sitting up in bed, holding a small bundle in her arms.

"Hey honey, look what we found," Max said as they stepped into the room. She looked up and brightened when she saw Booth there. He looked at her in awe and approached the bedside slowly. His wife was holding his daughter. Booth sat down, and Temperance turned to look at him.

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Of course I do," he said and reached down for the tiny bundle in Temperance's arms. Once he had a secure hold of the baby, he looked down at her, instantly in love with the tiny baby. "I just…wow. We have a little girl."

"Emma."

"Yeah?" Booth smiled down at his girl, his little Emma. She looked so sweet as she slept in his arms. He looked up as Parker scooted in closer to him to have a look at his baby sister. Right then, at that moment, everything was perfect. The family that mattered the most was with him, and they were finally ready to move forward together. There would be no more interruptions from the press, no more late night phone calls for a case. Instead, they had their whole futures ahead of them and they were moving there together.

_AN: Well that's it for the butterfly effect series. Thanks to everyone who has followed this from the beginning. I truly appreciate the support. I do have some story ideas, but am going to try and finish off a couple of unfinished stories first…like that will really happen. Also be sure to read my other work under my other penname, upncomer. With that, thanks for reading and I hope you stick with me in the future._


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